Our Purpose
by aLilBoredKid8
Summary: Fawn and Bowser have always lived a life of repetition, going through the same days over and over, always stuck in their own worlds. But there is a reason why we are put on this world. We all have something to do. People to meet. (BowserxOC, BowserxPeach, and more) TITLE CHANGED FROM Our Purpose: The People We Meet
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! This is my first fanfic. I told myself I wasn't gonna do this, but I realized that another story I wrote stemmed from the idea of Bowser kidnapping people. So I figured, 'Ah why the hell not?' Anyways, I know that people don't like OCs. But a lot of the girls in game don't make sense for Bowser really, and Bowser's cool and deserves someone so yeah. I tried to make her not Mary Sue! I gave her a diverse personality as opposed to 'Oh hey! I'm real spunky, nothing like an ordinary girl, despite the fact that I'm super hot! But hey, don't worry, I'm still super nice when I should be. And I can sing and cook, and anything else that's attractive to a man, but I can still kick his ass somehow. I also have self-esteem issues.' Yeaaah no. Well, enjoy!**

**Update: I realized the beginning wasn't very well written, so I edited it a little.**

* * *

**ARC 1: THE PEOPLE WE MEET**

Chapter 1: Fawn in the Forest

**Fawn**

I sat up in my bed and squinted the sleep out of my eyes. My mind was swirling with thoughts, bits and pieces of my dream. Not that I could tell you what I actually dreamed of. I, like most people, dream to much.

I continued to sit there for a while, just thinking, before I finally decided to collect my thoughts.

_...Water. Water... faucet. Faucet, shower... Shower. I need to shower._

Picking myself up off the bed, I walked in to my bathroom. I stumbled along in to the tiny shower cubicle, and fumbled with the knobs until hot water came spewing out of the faucet. I leaned back and let it hit my body as I stared absently at the ceiling, thinking about the images in my dreams.

_I saw him and her...and that big guy again..._

My thoughts were always so broken in the morning. Eventually I remembered to actually wash myself. I took the soap scrubbed myself, and rinsed the soap off. Then I took the shampoo and rinsed out my long black hair that clung to the back of my shoulder blades. I sat in the shower a little bit longer, only half awake, still sort of dreaming, when I vaguely remembered to turn off the water. I turned off the water, wrapped a towel on the rack next to me around my torso, and stepped out. I walked out, dripping wet, in front of my small mirror and stated absently at my reflection.

_What am I...doing? What am I supposed to do...?_

"Fawn!" I heard a gruff voice call. "Breakfast!"

_...Breakfast? Food...breakfast...food...breakfast. Wait... Breakfast!_

I shook my head rapidly and called, "Um, sorry! Be right down!" I ran out of my bathroom and in to my room. It was a simple room, all wood with a bed for one, a dresser, a nightstand, and a cabinet for random things. I ran to my dresser and flung a drawer open. I quickly picked out some undergarments and some clothes. I noted briefly that it was a simple brown sleeveless shirt and some brown wool pants, not that I was paying any mind. I quickly threw them on before rushing out the door.

This led me to a hall connected to three rooms, not including my own. I ran to the one leading to the living room and opened it. My living room was not much to behold, just two plush chairs, two wood ones, and a wooden coffee table. I ran past it and in to the kitchen.

My kitchen was also simple, with a wood counter, wood kitchen table made for four, a few cabinets, a wood stove and oven, and a small refrigerator. I quickly took my seat in the chair at one of the heads of the table.

There was a tall (at least for his race), muscular, middle aged toad with brown spots on his cap that was cooking at the stove. He was wearing a brown vest and black pants. When I arrived he turned around to reveal a roguish face, with a black mustache and a scar running along his cheek.

"Morning Fawn," the toad gruffly said.

"Morning Cult," I replied as he placed a plate of eggs and fruit in front of me. Cult took a plate of his own before sitting down opposite to me.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked, beginning to eat.

"Well..." I said, beginning to daydream, once again contemplating my dream

Noticing this, he sighed. "You dreamed of those people again, didn't you?" I looked up and nodded.

He sighed and said, "Look. Just try not to think about it to much. They're probably just characters your mind made up."

"Ok..." I said, somewhat dreamily. I had heard him say this about my dream before, but for whatever reason, I found myself not believing it to much. I felt like the dream had purpose.

"And by that I mean focus."

"Sorry."

"Geez. Twenty bucks says you left your pajamas on the floor again."

I froze up. "Oh...I uh..."

He chuckled."Just pay more attention, ok?"

"Right."

"Alright, I need you to pick up something at the store, okay? Just some more fruit, we're running out."

"Ok..."

"Got it?"

I decided to give him my full attention. "Got it."

He nodded."Good. Once we finish I'll give you the money."

I nodded and we continued eating. A bit of time passed before I realized I was just picking at an empty place. I looked up at Cult. He smiled and said, "'Bout time you realized."

I walked up to him for the money, when he laughed. "You didn't brush your teeth, did you?"

I cringed before saying, "Uh...no."

He simply smirked.

"Sorry, it's one of those days!" I said.

He laughed."It's always those days with you!"

I sighed, before chuckling a little myself. "Sorry..."

"It's fine. Just hurry, I need to get to work soon. Robin, a few of the other guys, and I are going out on a hunt later today, and I need to prepare."

I nodded and left to my bathroom. I brushed my teeth for a bit before dazing off. I realized I was dazing off, so I hurried up before running to Cult.

He fished out ten coins from his pocket. "Here," he said, handing me the money.

I nodded and said, "Thanks."

"Be safe!" He added as I was walking toward the front door.

"Right!" I called back.

I exited my little cottage and began walking to my destination. I walked along the dirt roads on my way to the store.

* * *

I looked around me, seeing the cottages spread out here and there on sides of the dirt road, the trees of the Tanooki Forest looming behind them. Hence the name Forest Village.

Forest Village was a village...in a forest. It was a small village, getting by through hunting and gathering the forest, occasionally selling them to nearby villages. There weren't much more to the structures then simple cabins and vendors. There weren't to many inhabitants living in this small little village.

Speaking of the inhabitants, there were a few of them walking by me on the road. There were people of several different species. Toads, Goombas, Koopas, and Shy Guys. Even a Yoshi family had moved here recently, having nowhere else to go and getting lost in. I, however, am the only human.

"Hello, Fawn!" A Goomba I knew called out to me.

I raised my hand absently in greeting and said, "Good morning," in no particular direction.

I'm a human girl, standing at five-nine, with straight black hair, and a very light tan. As far as I know, there are only three other human girls I've heard about. Peach, Rosalina, and Daisy. I wasn't as pale skinned as Peach and Rosalina, but not quite as tan as Daisy. I could infer this from the pictures I've seen of them, at least.

"Fawn, look out!" A voice called in front of me.

I snapped out of it and quickly side stepped to avoid the owner of the voice, driving by me on his kart. Not many people could afford a kart here, but a few did. _Why am I getting sidetracked by something like that now? I need to focus…_ I decided to check were I was. I was almost at the store.

I hadn't met Daisy, or Rosalina, or even Peach, even though she was the ruler of my kingdom. I've just heard about them. But they've never heard of me.

My adopted father, Cult, believed it was best for me to stay hidden in this village. He didn't want the outside world to know of me, as apparently being human is a big deal. He said that I would be famous, which basically meant everybody would be in my face and bother me. He said I seemed like the kind of girl that wouldn't like that, and I agreed that I didn't want that. All the people who live here are nice and trusting, like family, so they played along and didn't tell anyone outside the village of my existence. Not they ever really talk to many people outside the village. Thus, I was hidden from the world.

I looked up. There was the fruit vendor sitting before my eyes, along with the village gate right beside it. I slowly began to walk toward the vendor.

_ Am I okay with this though... Do I want to stay here? Stay in this little village...for the rest of my life? Is this what I want?_

I couldn't explain it, but recently, there's been something inside me. It's like a stirring. I want to leave this place; I want to see the world. I've never left farther then Tanooki Forest.

_Those dreams I've been having...who are those people? Are they real? I feel as though...I need to meet them. But do I want to leave my village? Leave Cult...my people...and deal with 'fame'?_

I remembered how scary the outside world is. Sometimes outsiders come by unannounced, but usually I'm hidden on time. But once, a Toad stranger wandered in to the village, lost. I watched him from a distance, frozen. I realized how scared I was of these people I didn't know. Of people outside the village. _Maybe I am happy staying here...people in the village have been scary before, but people outside are downright terrifying. How do I deal with them? In what ways are they different?_

"Hey Fawn. Need to buy something?" The Goomba at the stand asked. I realized I was at the vendor. I nodded, and gave him money. I picked out some apples and bananas, then put them in a bag he gave me.

"Come again!" He said, smiling. I began to walk away when I heard something that made me freeze. I heard two karts driving and a voice, one I didn't know. I knew everyone's voice here.

_How do I not know?_

I stopped and turned slowly toward the direction of the voice. It was coming from the forest. The village was built in a clearing in the forest, with a rock wall surrounding it. The village gate was an opening in the wall, the only way in and out if the forest. I stepped toward the gate, straining my ears in an attempt to make out what the voice was saying. I could tell other villagers were too.

"...lost, Mario?" The voice, feminine sounding, said.

"I'm not-a lost-a," Another unfamiliar, masculine voice said, with a strange sounding tone. I assumed this was the Mario the other voice was referring to. "I'm just-a not used-a to this-a forest."

_Wait...Mario? As in, the Mario? Isn't he the hero of the kingdom, always saving Peach? I heard he has a strange accent, but... it can't be him…_

"I'm sorry for dragging you along, I was just curious about this village..." The feminine voice replied. _Could that be...Peach?_

"It's-a alright, don't-a worry! You're a good-a ruler for-a thinking about-a the lesser known villages."

"Oh look Mario, what's that?"

"It-a looks like-a we found the entance-a!"

_Are...are they coming?_

Sure enough, I heard the karts coming closer. I was frozen, the thought of moving or running didn't even cross my mind. A few seconds later, a man and a woman drove up to the gate. They looked just like the pictures of Mario and Peach I've seen.

"Oh wow Mario," the woman I'm assuming is Peach said, looking around at the people and cottages. "It's so pretty! Just like the forest!"

"Yes-a it is, my princess," Mario said.

Pretty soon the villagers staring at them snapped out of their stupor and rushed to greet them. Not that I did, I was still petrified.

"Oh, Princess Peach! Mario!" "What honor do we have you here for?" "How can I help you?" I heard them chime.

"Oh it's fine, please all of you, don't be so humble," Peach said sweetly. "I should be apologizing. I've overlooked this village tremendously, and I wanted to explore it. I wanted to become acquainted with the people, this village is a part of my kingdom too. Will you accept me, although I'm very late?"

Although she has rarely come here, the villagers still respected her. "Of course!" "The honor is ours!" "What a fair princess!"

Mario nodded and smiled slyly at Peach. "That she is."

Peach blushed and looked away. A Toad piped up and asked, "Would you like a tour of the village, princess, Mario?"

She smiled and replied, "Yes I would, thank you." Mario also replied, "Sounds-a fun!"

A few of them nodded and began to walk forward, a few others still hovering around Peach and Mario, trying to talk to them. It was then that Peach looked away from the people, and saw me. Her eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks. Mario followed her eyesight and had the same reaction. I realized I was spotted, and now I became very anxious. I was like a deer in the headlights. Or...a fawn, I suppose.

"Is...that a..." Peach started.

"Mama mia!" Mario exclaimed. "It's a human!"

The villagers realized what they were staring at, and froze. They knew what this meant as well as I did. A normal sized Koopa with a red shell named Robin suddenly ran out of the crowd towards me.

"Oh uh..." Robin stuttered toward the duo once he reached me. "Sorry, but we've got to go! Enjoy the tour my princess, and Mario." With that he grabbed my hand and began to run. Still feeling numb, I simply paced after him, noting somewhere in my mind that it was probably the best choice. I dropped my fruits and followed him.

"W-wait!" I heard Peach call. But we were gone by then.

* * *

As we ran, Robin turned to me. "Are you okay?" He asked me sympathetically.

I was staring off in to the distance. _What are they going to do? How do I talk to them? What do I do? _I could only nod distantly.

He turned back ahead, knowing how I am, especially in situations like this. "Let's go back to Cult's."

I nodded again as we continued running. We stopped in front of my house. Robin led me to the front door and knocked. We waited a bit until Cult answered the door.

"Hey Fawn...where's the fruit?" He looked over to Robin and frowned. "Robin? What are you doing here? The hunt doesn't start for a bit."

Robin sighed and said, "We have a problem." He looked at me sympathetically. He knew me well indeed, and knew how I was feeling. "Fawn, why don't you relax? I'll explain what happened to Cult."

I nodded and weakly said, "O-ok...thank you..." before making my way to one of the chairs in the living room. Cult and Robin sat in two others and began to talk, but I didn't listen.

_How could I freeze up like that? It was crazy...it was even worse than with the first stranger. Something about them being so foreign, the same as me, and unknown, but powerful, with the ability to change everything, it got to me. I...what do-_

I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I snapped my head up to see Cult, looking at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry that that happened."

"I...I'm sorry," I replied. "I just froze up...I forgot to run, or even say something. I-"

He shushed me and hugged me, patting my back. Although he only stood at five feet, I was sitting, so I could still be pulled in to his chest. "It's okay," he soothed. "No one could've expected this. You have a tough time with new people, especially since you've been here all your life. It's not your fault."

I exhaled on to his chest and began to relax. I truly did have a strong social anxiety, which could be expected of me in my position. I have been isolated in this village for around sixteen years.

"Th-thank you," I said, forcing myself to focus. "What do we do now?"

He sighed and said "To be honest, I don't know."

I sighed and began to think. I thought about the possibility of telling them to leave and forget me, and see if they'd comply. But then, a part of me considered going with them somewhere. I noticed that I actually grew a little excited.

_Do I...want to?_

Robin looked like he was about to suggest something when there was a knock at the door.

I grew a little fearful. Cult and Robin looked at me, almost as if asking me if it was okay to answer. I composed myself before nodding. Cult nodded back and opened the door. Standing there was, as I dreaded, Mario and Peach.

Peach stood there, looking unsure, before smiling and saying, "Hello, mister."

Cult inclined his head in respect and said, "Hello, princess." He turned to Mario and did the same. "Hello Mario. It's good to meet you both."

Mario nodded and said, "You-a too."

We all stood there awkwardly until Mario said, "We wanted to talk-a to-a that girl-a. We asked the people, and-a they seemed hesitant at first-a, but-a they eventually seemed-a to decide it-a was the best-a choice, and-a they pointed us here."

Peach uneasily added, "Sorry that we're being so intrusive..."

Robin shook his head, saying, "No, I'm very sorry we were so rude. It's just that we..."

"We've always decided to keep Fawn a secret until now," Cult finished for him.

"How come?" Peach inquired.

"Because of something like this happening," he said, bluntly.

"Oh...I see. Why? If you don't mind me asking."

"Because, she's a..." Cult stopped to consider his words. "A bit stage fright. We figured she'd be happy with a peaceful life, and she agreed. We weren't sure if the world would let her live like that if it knew she existed."

Peach frowned and said, "I suppose you're right...I'm sorry, I didn't consider that."

I felt bad that she felt bad. I decided I needed to focus and stop cowering. "I...I'm sorry." I squeaked out.

Peach turned to me and smiled. "It's okay, dear! I'm sorry I stressed you out like that."

I nodded and looked down. Suddenly I drew the courage to speak. "What happens now...?"

Peach hummed and said, "Well...I was going to take you back to the castle and talk to you. But if you don't want to...that's fine. I truly think that you could be an important person, but I won't interfere."

"What would-a you like-a?" Mario asked me.

Cult turned to me, with a look of inquiry on his face. He knew about my recent thoughts, my desire to leave. "What would you like?"

I stared at the ground. _What do I want...what do I want...those people...the world...my home...I..._

"I..." I began. I shut my eyes and squeaked, "I want to go with you!"

Peach's face lit up. "Oh that's great dear! What's your name?"

"F-Fawn..."

"What a pretty name!" Mario exclaimed. "Alright, let's-a go!"

Peach shook her head and said, "Actually Mario...let's give these kind people some time to really think about it," Peach said, taking Mario's hand.

"What-a? But-a she..."

"We'll wait outside," she said sweetly before hurrying out with Mario.

Cult turned to me and asked, "Is this really what you want?" I nodded. He smiled and said, "I'm glad."

"You are?" I asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course! I don't want to keep you trapped here, I kept you because you weren't ready for the world. But you've grown up to be a pretty woman, and smart too! I'm happy to see you spread your wings."

Robin nodded and said, "Me too, the whole village will be delighted for you!"

I nodded, but then I grew antsy. "What about the fame?"

Cult waved his hand and said, "I prepared for this. I've got a shy guy costume in the storage closet, it's big enough to disguise you. We can hide you in that until we get to the castle, no one will tell you're human. We can convince them to go along with this, they're nice people."

"Okay...you can come right?"

"Count on it."

At that he left to the closet. Shortly after, he came out with a thick, brown shy guy robe and mask. I put them on quickly over my clothes. They were the largest size, yet they still exposed my lower legs and squeezed my chest slightly.

Robin seemed to notice the tightness of the robes on my chest and said, "The pains of being human..." For that, Cult slapped him on the back of the head, for whatever reason. He turned to me and said, "One more thing Fawn."

"Yes?"

"I know how you can get…" He said, growing serious. "You need to pay attention. You're a smart girl, and that'll come in handy out there."

I blushed and nodded. I knew how terrible I was with attentiveness. It was like most things couldn't occupy my mind. It was always searching for things to do, thinking of things helpful, to profound, and to downright ridiculous and pointless. It was rare that I fully occupied myself. "Sorry…"

He nodded we walked out to see Peach and Mario standing there still. Cult explained the conditions, to which Peach nodded and said, "That's completely understandable, I'll keep it a secret for now. The public would get rather irritating, I agree. We also have room for one on both our karts, so this works. It's very nice of you to care so much about her."

Cult nodded and thanked her, and we all walked to the gate. People eyed us as we walked by, and followed us, wanting answers. It felt like the longest walk ever.

_Do I really want this?_

Before I knew it, Peach tapped on my shoulder. I looked up and saw her pointing to the back of the kart. I hesitantly got in it, as I watched Cult climb in to the back of Mario's.

All the people were in a crowd at the gate, no doubt expecting an explanation.

"Well,' Peach called out. "I'm sorry, I know I promised to visit your village. But I have some...urgent matter to attend to with this girl. I believe she is very important, and I need to talk to her back at the castle. I'm so sorry, I'll come again another day!"

_Is this what I want? An image of the people in my dreams appeared. A man with black hair and brown eyes...A woman with amber eyes...a dragon... _I felt the stirring rise within me.

Peach turned to us. "Anything you two would like to say?"

Cult grinned and addressed the crowd. "Hold down the fort, we'll be back soon!"

Peach turned to me. "Fawn? How about you?"

"I...I..." I croaked. _These people are my people...my family...my friends. I need to say something! _I ripped the mask off my face and revealed my slightly rounded face, and stared out with my bright hazel eyes, almost amber. I shut my eyes and yelled out to the crowd. "I'm leaving! I want to see the world! Thank you for your care!"

I waited with my eyes shut until I heard an applause. Everyone was clapping for me. I looked up and smiled greatly, for one of the rare moments in my life, really feeling in the moment.

Peach smiled and nodded to Mario. They revved up their engines, and we began to move. Putting my mask back on, I faced the world.

I faced the outside world and all the challenges it had for me. I had no idea what it was like, but I knew I was ready.

And although I didn't know it at the time, it had my purpose ready for me too.

**Hey. Long chapter, I know. But I'm in to long chapters, usually, and I'm trying to introduce her in a detailed, but not overly involving way, as super involved OCs can get annoying. It ended up long. Her personality didn't get to show TO much since she's busy freaking out, but I think you kinda see it. Speaking of, you should see more of it next chapter. Speaking of, Bowser will be introduced! Sorry it took him so long. Well review if you can, it'd be supportive, and if you don't like it, please don't flame, make a critique. Alright thanks!**

**Update: Ugh! Tbh I hate this chapter. Even after editing it, it still feels so crappy and rushed. Whatever...I'm allowed a few bad chapters lol. Well, favorite, follow, or review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys. So to whoever's reading, now we introduce POV change. Also, for those of you who noticed, I changed the title and summary. Just felt better to me, made more sense for the story. Anyway, here's a shorter chapter. Mainly follows Darklands. Enjoy! Oh, and thanks for lilEminem for reviewing, go first reviewer. And I forgot this last time, Disclaimer: All I own so far is Forest Village, Fawn, Cult, and Robin. Everything else is Nintendo.**

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Chapter 2: Busy Darkland day

**Fawn**

We drove in silence for a long time. I think Peach and Mario tried to call to me, but the wind drowned them out, so it wasn't enough to call my attention. I think I heard Cult laugh and yell, "Don't try now, she's long gone at this point!"

I didn't want to talk to anyone. The scenery had changed to a grassy plain. I had never seen such a plain, pretty field! It was the stuff in my dreams, and as such I was content to just daydream in the pleasant sun.

We drove in silence a little longer, until I heard someone calling out my name. But the voice was lowered by the wind, and I was to far in to my daydream to pay attention right away.

"Hey...Listen! Hey listen!"

_Yes Navi, I'm listening, you don't need to say it over and over again._

"Fawn!"

I finally looked down at Peach, the owner of the voice. "You don't pay attention much, do you?" She said wearily.

I blushed and looked away. "Uh...sorry..."

Peach shook her head and yelled, "It's fine! We'll get there soon!"

I nodded vaguely and began to drift off again. I heard someone yell, "Mamma mia, she's a total space cadet-a!"

* * *

**Bowser**

I was sitting in the courtyard, on the black obsidian among the purple grass. I was holding her in my arms, my snout and hands in her golden hair, breathing in it's lovely fragrance. I took my head away for just a second to look upon her. My eyes instantly locked on to her shoulders. Her dress had carelessly slipped off it, revealing her shoulders and clavicles. I gulped and looked at her face. I absorbed her perfect, slightly angular features, and noticed her smile, a smile of longing. A smile just for me.

I grinned crookedly, knowing she wanted it as much as me. I even heard her voice calling for me. "Bowser... Bowser..." She called sweetly.

I shivered at the sound of her voice. Waiting no longer, I plunged my lips toward hers. But when I did, everything turned white. I saw the silhouette of a single girl standing in front of me. "BOWSER!"

I bolted upright, panting. I turned to my right and saw Kamek, grinning. "Finally awake?" He asked

"Argh..." I groaned, putting my head in my hands.

"Time to wake up sire. You've got a big day ahead of you, so you need to wake up now."

"Damn it Kamek!" I roared. "You ruined my dream again! Ugh, I'm sick of this!"

Kamek frowned in thought and asked, "Did you dream of that girl again?"

"Yeah, cuz YOU keep on interrupting my sleep!"

"I don't know..." Kamek said thoughtfully. "Maybe you're sub consciousness is trying to tell you something..."

"It ain't trying to tell me JACK SHIT!" I bellowed, knowing where this was going. "GET OUT!"

Kamek chuckled and said, "Okay, I'm leaving. But be at your throne room so I can brief on today's plans."

I grunted in response. With that, Kamek walked out of my room, leaving me to myself. I sat in bed for a bit longer before groaning and rolling out of bed. I walked out of my room and in to my bathroom. The tiles were all black obsidian tile, with a dark red toilet and sink, with my insignia on top of my mirror on the wall.

_Yeah...badass. _I walked to the giant black tile bathtub/shower. I took off my briefs and threw them to the side before entering the tub. I closed the curtains and turned the shower on. It blasted out scalding hot water that only my leathery man scales could take.

I sat there, sitting in the hot water. My mind began to drift off, thinking about what my next sure fire plan was.

_Hmm...I could lock Mario in the skyship. Or maybe I should throw him in to a painting again...woah wait. I could put him in the skyship...inside a painting...that's inside a painting! Woah, that's some inception right there. Peach is going to love that..._

I began to fantasize about Peach, about my dream, when the silhouette popped up in my head on accident. I growled.

_Stupid dreams...can't let me be happy even there. I need to see Peach again, it's been a month!_

With that resolution, I realized a good deal of time had passed. I quickly washed myself up and turned off the water. I wrapped a towel around my waist and walked out in to my room.

My room had a similar design to my bathroom. It was a big room, the floor made of black obsidian tiles, with the walls and ceiling being rock, to look like a cave. There was a fireplace, a bay window with red satin curtains, a dresser, two nightstand a next to my king sized bed with red satin sheets, a dresser, a closet, a large mirror, two red plush chairs, and a plasma TV on the wall. I grinned and thought, This has got to be the most badass, manly room in the world.

I walked to my closet and picked out a pair of boxers and a shell. I slipped the shell on and walked to the mirror. I grinned at the reflection. My flame red hair was a shock on top of my ferocious, chiseled face. I stood at my imposing six-five, with my giant, spiked shell only adding to the image, I was the epitome of bad ass. Grinning, I walked out of my room. I walked through the cobblestone halls, ignoring my subject's bows as I passed, until I reached the throne room. I walked across the cobblestone floors, with glass displays on the sides showcasing lava below, and took a seat on my red and gold throne.

Kamek soon arrived and started launching the days plans at me. "Good morning sir, today's a busy day. First we have arranged a meeting with the duke of Flamelands, he had matters to discuss with you. Then there's your public address, followed by a council meeting. Then-"

I raised my hand to stop him. "Well move something around today, I'm kidnapping Peach."

Kamek frowned and sighed. "Bowser, that's not a good idea. You're very busy today, and-"

"To bad, I'm kidnapping Peach," I said, growing irritated.

"Lord, please-"

"No!"

Kamek sighed. "Very well lord, I'll send one of the Koopa Kidnapper Squad to do it."

I frowned. "I wanted to do it."

"Why?"

"Well...I get to hold her..." I said, blushing. "And she's a little more talkative!"

"Because she's screaming."

"Shut it!" I said, growling. I grunted and said, "Fine, send one of them."

He nodded and said, "Thank you. I'll get right on that, someone will come to take you to the meeting room soon."

I grunted and watched Kamek scuttle out. I began to drift off, dreaming of my sweet Peach until I was called upon.

**Kamek**

_My word, Bowser's really got to get it together... I thought as I walked through the halls toward my office. He's got this fantasy that if he just keeps kidnapping Peach, and messing with Mario, he'll get her. He refuses to listen, he's stuck in that dream of his..._

I sighed when I reached my office. It was a simple office, everything you'd expect. I plopped down in the chair at my desk and sighed. He won't even listen to me anymore...

I picked up the phone and called one of the secretaries of the castle. It ringed for a bit until a monotone voice answered. "Hello Sir Kamek, this is Muriel, how may I help you?"

"Hey Muriel, could you send up whoever's around in the Koopa Kidnapper Squad to my office?"

"He's at it again, huh?"

"Yeah, I managed to convince him to do his work this time."

"That's good. I'll send them up now."

"Thank you Muriel." With that, I hung up the phone.

Bowser had a group of elites in the Koopa Troopa that he deemed good enough to execute kidnappings for him, on the rare occasion that he can't. Ironically, they tend to be better at kidnapping then Bowser is, as they're usually stealthier. I waited quite a while until finally, a young, short Koopa with a purple shell showed up.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Jimmy!" He replied, cheerily.

"Well, what do you want Jimmy?" I asked, feeling impatient.

"Well what do you want?" He replied playfully. "I'm here cuz you called me!"

I raised a brow. "No I didn't, I called for the Koopa Kidnapper Squad. You're not one of them."

He shifted his feet nervously and said, "Well...about that...I'm sort of a rookie."

"Well why are you here then!?" I said, growing irritated.

"Bert and Bob are out on a mission, Gary is out getting provisions, and Benny is sick. So I'm all there is..." He quickly added, "But I've assisted in kidnappings before, I'm not a complete rookie!"

I sighed and muttered, "Damn it..." I considered waiting until someone was available, but knowing Bowser, he'd be furious if we stalled. _Well whatever, kidnapping isn't that hard. And if he fails, it's not that big a deal._ "Okay fine. You're mission is to kidnap Peach, nothing else. You may bring a party of two at the maximum to assist you. I'll also call the hangar to allow you access to the usage of Clown Copter Number 17. You leave immediately."

He nodded swiftly and said, "Yes sir!"

I nodded and said, "Good." I was expecting him to leave, but he still stood there, nervous.

"What's the problem?"

He looked like he was about to say something, but he shook his head and said, "No sir." With that he quickly left.

I rolled my eyes and attended to some work that needed completing.

**Jimmy**

I left the room, and sighed when I was out. I knew I didn't need any help, that's definitely not the problem. The Mushroom Castle is pretty lousy in security, I can sneak in and kidnap her myself. I'll probably take a chloroform rag to make it easier.

No, my concern is...I've technically never seen Princess Peach. I may've seen her once, but I don't remember. I don't get to watch much TV, and when I do, it's never Mushroom related. And as far as assisting ever went, I had just realized I was always helping divert attention. By the time I regrouped with everyone, Peach was in a sack, so I never saw her. And once she gets to the castle our paths never cross.

_But it's not that bad! I may not know what Peach looks like...but I do know what a human girl should look like! I mean, they're all fleshy, and tall, and they've got pretty big boobs in plain sight. So I'm good, because she's the only human girl in that area! Wait, Daisy comes by sometimes...no, I know what she looks like. Dave won't shut up about her, he finds her so hot! Uh, she has a yellow dress, and brown hair, and is really tan. Yeah, I know what she looks like at least. Okay so it's easy. Kidnap the human girl that's not Daisy...I don't need to know how she looks like exactly, I'll be fine! I'm NOT messing this up, this is my chance to rise up in the ranks. I've got this one!_

Pumping myself up, I proceeded to make preparations for my mission.

**A/N: Well there's chapter 2. Review if you liked it please! Next chapter may be a little long again, maybe a little expositiony, but please bear with it! We change back to Fawn and everyone else next chapter. Okay, thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey. I have a few of these chapters already written from a while before, and I'm writing a good amount already just because I'm on vacation but don't really have much to do but to relax. Well here's another chapter! It's back to Fawn's and everyone, and it's more or less the last bit of exposition before we get started. Enjoy.**

**Fawn: Um, this is a disclaimer. aLilBoredKid8 doesn't own anything. Oh wait, he does own some of this stuff. Uh...me, Robin, and Cult. And also Jimmy...wait, who's Jimmy?**

Chapter 3: A Day in the Life of Peach

**Fawn**

After driving for a bit longer, the city came in to sight. I began to drink in all the sights. There were actual buildings, the ones I've seen in pictures. There were people, so many, I didn't even know one of them.

_What's in that building? It's red, and tall, two stories, five window. What is it for? A Toad with red spots walked in to it. Where is he going? Maybe he has to go in there to meet a business man to discuss a partnership. I wonder if-_

"Fawn!" Peach said urgently.

I snapped out of it. "Um...yes?"

"Is your disguise alright?"

"Um...yes."

"Good, we're almost there. People will want to talk to me, but we'll drive a little quickly to get by. Just stay calm, it'll be alright. Okay?" She shouthed.

"Right...thank you."

It wasn't long before our karts drive off of the dirt road and on to the cement ones of Toad Town. People began to crowd the sides of the road, only giving us enough room to drive by. The buildings were small and cute with vibrant colors, the streets were clean, there were healthy plants everywhere, and the whole place just had an air of happiness.

"Princess! Mario!" "Great to see you!" "Where'd you go? We thought you were kidnapped!" "Who are the Shy Guy and the Toad?" They asked.

I froze in place, moving along in the kart. I observed all the people. _Who...who are all these people? Why are they all here? Aren't they supposed to be doing something else? Why are they so interested in us? I...what should I do?_

"I just paid a nice village a visit. And sorry, but we're in a hurry!" I heard Peach address.

I observed all the people, my mind whirling around, watching them, and contemplating them. I stayed like that for a while.

**Cult**

"Does-a she notice that-a people are reaching for her?" I heard Mario whisper to me.

I grunted and said, "Nope. She's a bit absent minded in case you haven't noticed. The change in scenery ain't helping."

"I'll-a say-a."

I narrowed my eyes and said, "She's no ditz though. She's smart, that's truth."

Mario raised a brow. "Really? How-a smart-a?"

I smirked and said, "Smartest damn girl I've met."

**Fawn**

_Why are they called Toads? I know it's because of toadstool, but why not Shrooms? Oh wait, that name's already used on those alien-_

"Fawn!"

I turned my head to Peach, but then looked up. I was in front of a towering castle surrounded by a sprawling green prairie. The castle was sort of a cross between pink and orange, with a bright feel to it.

"Wow..." I whispered.

"Welcome to Toadstool Castle," Peach said with pride.

Cult whistled and said, "Wow. Nice place."

Only a little bit after our karts arrived in front of the castle, an elderly Toad came rushing out. He wore fancy clothes; he had a graying cap and a white mustache. "Princess! Princess!" He yelped, bustling toward us on a cane.

"Hello, Toadsworth," Peach greeted, almost sounding weary.

"Where have you been!?" He asked urgently, reaching us. "Who are these people!?"

I backed away, feeling frightened by his accusatory tone. But I wasn't paying attention and stumbled off the kart. Thankfully my disguise wasn't compromised. Cult rushed to my side before anyone else could react. "I got her," he assured.

Peach sighed and relief and turned back to Toadsworth. "I just...went out to town, and found these two. We have something very urgent to discuss," Peach said sweetly.

I turned to Peach. "No you..." I started, but Cult clamped a hand on my mouth. "Sh," He whispered. "Think about it."

I did as told._ Oh, she's lying._

"What is it? Explain yourself, why did you leave?" Toadsworth probed crossly.

Peach sighed and said, "I'm sorry...I just had free time with Mario, and wanted to get out of the kingdom. So I thought there'd be no harm."

"I never-a left her side-a," Mario assured.

This seemed to pacify Toadsworth, as his muscles visibly relaxed.

"Well...okay. As long as Mario was accompanying you." He turned his attention to us. "Now who are you two?"

Cult stood up and grinned. "Name's Cult."

I felt a nudge at my side from Cult. "Oh...uh...Fawn. I'm Fawn," I said awkwardly.

"I see..." Toadsworth said, eyeing us. He turned back to Peach. "Princess..."

Peach smiled and said, "Listen Toadsworth, I'll explain everything soon. But for now, could you please just trust me? We have something important to talk about..."

"Why can't you tell me?"

I looked at Peach, afraid she'd tell. But she only sighed and said, "It's private Toadsworth...please..."

Toadsworth continued to observe Peach before turning to us. He almost probed us with his eyes, judging us. I grew very uncomfortable under his gaze. Thankfully, Cult stepped in front of me and glared slightly at Toadsworth.

He seemed to digress and turned to Peach. "Will you explain this to me later?"

She nodded. "Yes, I promise."

He paused for a moment before sighing. "Alright, you guys can talk."

Peach smiled greatly and stooped to hug Toadsworth. "Thank you so much!" She drew back and said, "Could you send someone to get our karts? We'll be in the meeting room."

"Very well...Mario will be there to, right?"

"Of-a course-a," Mario assured.

Toadsworth nodded. "Good. I'll get the servants right away. Have fun Princess, be safe." With that, he walked off.

Peach turned to us. "Sorry about him..."

Cult scoffed. "He always such a pain?"

Peach frowned. "He just cares about me. I feel bad, because I did sort of leave randomly. I was hanging out with Mario, when I saw your village on the map, and decided I might as well pay a visit."

Mario harrumphed and said, "Alright-a, we've-a wasted enough-a time here. Let's-a go!"

Peach nodded and said, "Yes, let's."

With that, we all walked in to the castle.

* * *

The inside of the castle was pristine white tile, with paintings of Toads and angels here and there. Toad servants inquired us, but Peach shooed them away with ease. We walked up stairs with carpets the same color as the castle. Eventually we made it to a white marble door, which we passed through to enter the meeting room.

The meeting room had a white tile floor and marble walls. There was a glass table between two plush couches.

"Welcome to the meeting room. We won't be disturbed here," Peach said.

Cult plopped on a couch and said, "Hah! Haven't seen a place as good as this in a damn long time."

Peach smiled and sat down on the opposite couch, Mario sitting next to her. Realizing I was the only one standing, I rushed next to Cult.

Cult seemed to feel bad about something and said, "Sorry if I'm a little crass, Princess. Guess I'm outta practice."

Peach shook her head and said, "It's no problem."

We say there in silence for a while. I ended up thinking out loud. "Aren't we supposed to be talking?" I Cult and Mario chuckled, and I blushed and looked down, realizing my outburst.

"Yes, thank you Fawn," Peach said. "I had a few questions to ask you two, is that okay now?"

"Yes..."

"Okay. My first question..." Peach paused to think. "How exactly did you come about, Fawn?"

"Well...I found her in the forest of our village," Cult replied.

"Mamma mia! Any idea how-a she got there?" Mario asked.

"No... I have no memory of how I got there. I was unconscious when I was found. When I woke up, I was in Cult's house. All I knew when I woke was my name is Fawn..." I said, thinking out loud.

"She was just a little girl, I'm guessing she was four when I found her. I couldn't leave her alone! And next thing I knew, I was sort of her adoptive father..." Cult added.

Peach looked to me and nodded. "I expected that."

Cult chuckled and said, "Why? Something hinting you that she didn't come from me?"

Mario and Peach both laughed and I chuckled. "I mean I expected that story because I have a similar one," Peach said.

"I don't know if you heard the story, but I was found abandoned on the plains of the castle at night. The late king was heirless, and decided to take me up for his own, being vastly interested in me, an abandoned human," Peach sighed and added, "But we aren't the only cases of this."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling looser now that I was curious.

"I asked my human friend, Daisy, the same question. She was found and raised in an almost identical situation. And then there's four other humans with slightly different stories."

Mario jumped in and said, "That's-a me, my brother Luigi, and-a my cousins Wario and-a Waluigi."

Cult nodded. "You all came from a different world, and blacked out randomly. When you woke up, you were in this world, no idea how you got here."

Mario shrugged. "It's-a weird, it-a sucks-a that I don't-a know." He paused and smiled, saying, "But I'm-a glad-a I'm here. I get-a to go on adventures, and I met-a my Peach."

Peach blushed and whispered, "Thank you..."

_He owns her? They're behind on women's rights..._

"Now there's something I've theorized on why this happens. It's basic, but it's something."

_Now that I think about it, there aren't many empowering female figures around here, are there?_

I felt Cult nudge me in my side. I payed attention to Peach, annoyed that I got side tracked so easily.

"I believe that each human that's come here is important in some way. They've all gone on to do important things. Daisy and I became princesses, Mario and Luigi became powerful heroes, and Wario and Waluigi became famous schemers. Everyone knows they've committing crimes and scams, but they're to good at it to get caught legally..."

"Yeah, and-a Rosalina's queen of the stars!" Mario added.

"Exactly. Not only are they all important, but they all have magic, something not to common. I have heart magic, Daisy has flower and ice powers, Mario has fire and athleticism, Luigi has lightning and athleticism, Rosalina is said to be a psychic, Waluigi I heard can make illusions, and Wario has...um...crude powers."

"Doesn't he just fart?" Cult asked.

"He farts...like-a no one else-a," Mario said grimly.

_I've heard stories about him. If someone could fart with the propulsion of a rocket, wouldn't their anus be torn by the blast? Maybe that's part of his abilities…_

Peach shook her head, saying, "Point being, all the known humans on this planet have these things in common."

I can remember what she was saying wasn't interesting me. I was more interested in grasping the concept of Wario's powers.

We all sat there in silence. Cult nodded his head in thought. "Huh...makes sense."

I looked at Cult, then at Peach.

"Well...what do you think, Fawn?" Peach asked me.

I turned my head to Peach, and absently said, "Yeah, I already knew that."

Peach, Mario, and Cult all looked surprised at my response. I shrunk back.

"Whaddaya mean you already know?" Cult asked me.

I grew nervous and said, "Well...it was just something I noticed when I read about all of the other humans. We have the books so..."

Cult chuckled and shook his head. "The things you think of when you daydream. Why didn't you say anything? I'd've like to know that."

Turning to Cult, I said, "I wasn't sure if it was important, so I didn't mention it." I began to muse. "But I've always wondered what my purpose is then, if there really is a pattern. Maybe I'm supposed to be a princess...of a kingdom underground...or I'll save the world from aliens. And maybe I'll have flight abilities...or power over the elements...or heat-ray vision." I turned to Peach. "Is this why you were so interested in me?"

Peach blinked before saying, "Well...yes. Yes, I believe you could have a very important role to fill. And you could have the ability to control magic. Can you now?"

I shook my head. "No...I can do other stuff, like hunt, like Cult taught me...but no."

Mario hummed in thought. "So you've lived-a in a small-a village-a all of your life-a, and haven't discovered any magic powers-a. I-a think it's-a safe to say-a that you haven't found-a your big purpose, or powers."

"Again, if this pattern is consistent," Peach added.

"I see..." I said, thinking about what I could be. _Could the stirring I had...be connected to it? Or was that just a natural desire to explore?_

We all sat in silence until Cult asked, "Well, what now?"

Peach hummed and crossed her arms. "Well...to be honest, I don't know. But we've talked enough for now; we can discuss things in the mourning! It's getting late, why don't you two stay here for the night?"

I widened my eyes. _Stay here for the night? But...so many things could happen. What is sleeping in a different town like? Is it different? What about a room? What if someone finds out about me? Or-_

I felt Cult put his hand on my shoulder as he looked at me. "Is that okay with you Fawn?"

I relaxed my mind and thought about it. "I want to stay. I don't want to leave yet..."

Cult nodded and turned back to Peach. "We're okay with it. What about that Toadsworth guy?"

Peach waved her hand and said, "He'll be fine. But..." She turned to me and her face softened. "But Fawn...he deserves to know what's happening." My face grew weary, which she noticed. "Don't worry, he wouldn't tell anyone. I won't expose your secret until you're ready for it."

I sighed. _Hm…if Peach trusts him, he should be fine. I don't see any harm in just him knowing, as I don't see how he alone could bother me to much. _"Well if he won't tell anyone, it's okay I guess."

Peach nodded. She suddenly clapped her hands, starling me, and smiled. "Well, this'll be fun!"

I blinked. "It...will be?"

Peach nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes! We can talk, and learn about each other, and become friends!"

I blinked again. _Friends...outside my village..._

I smiled. "That does sound fun."

Peach smiled and added, "Oh, and I could give you both tours of the castle. It'll be like living a day as Princess Peach!"

Cult laughed out loud. "That outta be fun!"

I, on the other hand, didn't answer immediately. _A day as Princess Peach? What'll I do? Will I address the public? Will I have a tea party? Will I play sports? Will I get kidnapped?_ "That also sounds fun."

Peach nodded. "Well, why don't we ask some questions?"

"Questions?" I asked.

"Yeah, I mean, I still so little about you! Like...what's your last name even?"

"She took my last name when I adopted her," Cult said. "So her full name is Fawn Forest."

"Wow-a! What a pretty name!" Mario said happily.

I smiled. "Thank you."

"Well-a, how old-a are you?" Mario asked.

Peach nudged him and curtly said, "Mario, it's rude to-"

I interrupted her. "We think about twenty."

Peach looked away from Mario to me. "Oh…well okay. You're not much younger then me! I'm twenty three. Well…how about…wait, Fawn, are you okay?"

"Hm?"

"You're um…you're sweating, Fawn," Peach said, concerned. "A lot. And you look a little faint."

Cult turned to me and laughed heartily. "Oh, Fawn. Ya didn't even notice how hot you were in that Shy Guy robe!"

I thought about it for a second. I touched my face and felt the perspiration. _Oh geez…I really am hot, I didn't notice in…oh stars this costume is hot!_

Peach laughed and said, "Geez, take it off if it's that bad Fawn."

I looked at her questioningly, and she said, "I locked the door and the curtains are closed, no one will see you."

Nodding, I pulled the robe off to reveal my original clothes from the start of the day. A brown sleeveless shirt and brown pants. I sighed in content as I threw the robe to the side.

"Thank you, that's much better," I said, contentedly.

She nodded and looked like she was about to say something, but was interrupted by Cult.

"What are you looking at?" Cult said to Mario. He sounded mad. _Why is he mad?_

"Nothing-a!" Mario said quickly.

"Mario, what's wrong?" Peach asked him, concerned.

"Um...Peach?" Mario said nervously.

"Mario, what is it?" Peach asked, looking slightly worried.

"I-a...I think-a Fawn might-a need some help-a with her um..." Mario seemed to do something that made Peach look down.

"Oh," Peach said, blushing. "Oh my. Um...yes I suppose we should do something about that...I hadn't noticed that until now."

_What are they all talking about?_

Cult sighed and said, "Yeah, there wasn't really much we could do about it."

"I would imagine..." Peach said, looking nervous in an akin fashion to Mario.

I frowned and asked, "What are you all talking about?"

Mario blushed further and Peach quickly answered, "Nothing Fawn! Nothing, I'm just...you..."

"The Princess has a gift for you, Fawn," Cult answered smoothly.

"A gift?" I asked.

Peach nodded quickly. "Yes, yes! A gift! In fact, I'm going to get it for you right now!"

I raised a brow. "Really? Why would you need to do that?"

Mario chimed in, still seeming nervous. "It's-a...important."

_Important? What could it possibly be?_

Cult made a 'feh' noise as Peach got up. "Well, allow me to run off and get it."

Cult got up too. "I'm coming with you."

Peach and Mario gave him odd looks for some reason. He shrugged. "What? I'm her adoptive father, I've seen it before, it ain't weird. I'll be able to help."

Peach nodded slowly. "I...suppose."

_A gift that requires Cult's help...he must be helping pick it out or something, since he knows me. When could they have arranged this? Maybe when I was watching the people, or the buildings, or…_

I began to fantasize about it as I distantly heard them speak.

"Can I-a come too?"

"Yes, I think that'd be appropriate. Fawn we'll be back in a little bit, we're getting your gift!"

"Be back soon Fawn. Don't worry."

"Okay..." I said absently, focusing on my gift.

_Wow, what could it be? Maybe it's a new bow...or a book...or a puppy. Or a dragon, or a chain chomp. Maybe it's a good pasta, I hear Mario's a good chef._

_Why would they want to get me a gift? They just met me. I guess they're really that nice...I guess I did make friends. I can talk to them even though they didn't come from the village..._

_I actually think that we're going to have fun! She said we'll learn about each other. I'll learn her favorite color, and food, and past time, if she likes cats or dogs!_

_And then there's the tour of the castle. I'll be Peach for a day, apparently. Maybe I'll hold tournaments, or file documents, or greet the people, or get kidnapped, or-_

My inner monologue was interrupted when I felt something wet on my face. Everything turned black.

**OMG who saw that coming!? Yeah I'll take full responsibility for that lazy story starter. Yay lazy writing. Anyway, so I think you know what happened to her. Look forward to the next chapter! Read, review, favorite. Thanks**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey. Well, here's chapter four. So last chapter we went over Peach's little theory on humans, and Fawn from the looks of it found out who Jimmy was. Omg sorry total spoiler (no it's not) so now we get to see how things are going in Darklands again. Enjoy**

Chapter 4: We can improvise!

* * *

**Bowser**

I sat at my desk, swamped at paperwork. Apparently shirking work _doesn't _make the problem go away. It just makes it pile up. I feel like I've gone through this lesson a few times before.

_Ugh, this sucks! I could be working on the blueprints of a new machine with Iggy or something productive. But no, I'm stuck doing paper work. Stars, it'd probably be more useful if I used it to wipe my ass!_

I finished another paper and put it to the side on the pitiful pack of complete papers. I compared this pile of a few papers to the pile left to do, which looked almost two feet tall! I'd been working at it for almost an hour. I'd be working faster if it weren't for the fact that it was so boring. I literally had no morale to keep going, and not just daydream.

_Argh! Why do I have to do this!? What do I have to look forward to after this stupid work!?_

I remembered that I had Peach coming over to look forward to. I shot up in my seat. _That's right! Peach is coming over! Oh crap, I can't just have her sit in her room while I do this work. She wouldn't like that…oh, I got it! I'll arrange a dinner date! Oh she'll love that! I know I will…_

I began to fantasize about what it would be like, when I shook my head to focus. _No! I have to pay attention now!_

I grabbed my phone on the desk and dialed Kamek's number.

After a few rings, he answered. "Hello, milord. What is it?"

"Kamek! Listen, as Peach gotten here yet?"

"No…are you doing your work?" He asked, exasperated.

"Shut up! I'm close," I lied. "Arrange a dinner date for me and her in the dining hall. Make it around…seven."

"Will you finish by then!"

"Yeah, yeah!" I answered, annoyed. "Also, tell them to bring out the two person dinner table in the dining hall. And cook up something good. And make it romantic looking."

Kamek sighed. "I'll arrange it. Now please hurr-"

I hung up the phone abruptly, tearing through my work with new found vigor, thinking of the night with Peach.

* * *

**Jimmy**

Carrying the girl in a sac over my shoulder, I climbed in to the Clown Copter. I carefully put the girl on the ground next to me and made a speedy getaway.

Once the castle was just a speck in the distance, I sighed in relief.

_Hah! That really was easy! All I had to do was sneak around a bit and BAM! There she was, my target, sitting in a room all by herself, and not even paying attention to anything! I just snuck right up on her. And I know that it's Peach, for sure. She's definitely a human, and she's DEFINITELY a girl. I mean, her puppies were right out for everyone to see. I heard human girls have big boobs, but damn, I don't think she was even wearing a bra! ...Okay I'm being a pervert. Bowser'd kill me if he knew I thought like that about his girl. The important thing is, I got her, no prob! Kamek's gonna be so happy, I'll be a high ranking soldier in no time!_

* * *

**Kamek**

"You idiot!" I yelled. The subject of my fury shrank back, with the limp body of a girl. A girl that wasn't Peach.

It was the most stupid thing. I was sitting at my desk, just doing my work, when that Jimmy barges in with a stupid grin. He says he got Peach, so I ask him to take her out of the sack. And there's another girl instead!

_What kind of idiot messes that up!? How does he kidnap the wrong person!? Even if he didn't know what she looked like, which doesn't make sense since she's the princess, she's the only human girl there! Speaking of which, where did this girl come from!?_

"I uh..." He stammered.

"Can you explain just how you screwed this up?" I asked vehemently.

"W-well..." Jimmy started, rightfully nervous. "I...may not know what Peach looks like..."

"You don't know what she looks like!?" I asked incredulously. "How!?"

"Well...I don't watch TV much, so I never see addresses on her there...and I never cross her path when she gets kidnapped..."

"What about those assistance missions?" I asked suspiciously.

"I always helped by diverting attention. By the time we regrouped, she was already in a sack, so I couldn't see her. It hadn't realized that I didn't know what she looked like until after you sent me...I figured that Peach'd be the only human girl there! So I just assumed."

I groaned and rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying to stop a future headache. I tried to relax. "Where did you even find her?"

He shrugged anxiously. "I don't know, I just saw her sitting in a room, and assumed she was Peach."

I knit my brows. "So you found her in the castle?"

He nodded. "Yes sir, I did."

I rubbed my chin in thought.

_Who is this girl? We haven't seen a human surface on this planet since Wario and Waluigi, and that was a long time ago. What could this mean? Hmm...she might be important. Maybe Peach knows something about her. Hm...we could use her to our advantage somehow. Maybe this wasn't a complete screw up..._

"Hm," I drawled. "There is potential in this girl."

Jimmy's eyes lit up. "Really!? How!?"

I sighed. "I don't know, but she may be important. There aren't many humans in this world, so maybe she's important somehow if she was in Peach's castle..."

"So what do we do?"

I glared and said, "For now, you'll take her to Peach's room, and you'll be responsible for her until we figure out what to do with her. This is your mess, so as such; you'll be responsible for her!"

He frowned and said, "Um...right sir."

I groaned and said, "But the real problem is Bowser." I grew angry again and said, "He's gonna kill me for this! He asked me to schedule a dinner with Peach, and when he finds out his 'date' got ruined, he'll kill me!"

He grew nervous again, when suddenly his eyes lit up. "Wait! I got it!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What would that be?" I asked, sarcastically.

He ignored my sarcasm and continued, excited as ever. "We can improvise! Maybe this girl can go instead!"

I looked at him, dumbfounded. "What?"

He nodded and said, "Yeah! Maybe he'll settle for this girl!"

I was about to tell him how stupid that sounded, but then I stopped to consider this possibility.

_That...actually holds some merit. Maybe he would like this girl. Maybe he just has a thing for human girls...that is possible. Plus it would be such a blessing if he did fall in lovewith her. Peach is a gigantic distraction, and it makes him sad whenever he's reminded she doesn't love her. He won't admit it, but I know it hurts him...it would be great if he would move on, and maybe this girl's the way..._

"That actually may be a possibility..." I pondered.

He grew excited and said, "Yeah, and look at her!" He picked up her limp form and said, "She's hot!"

I frowned at his vulgarity, but sighed. _She is attractive, but not as much as Peach. But she is dirty, maybe she'll look better after she's washed up and has some makeup on...maybe this really will work._

I looked at my watch. It was six-fifteen.

"Shoot," I said, realizing the time. "The dinner date's at seven! Quick, take her to Peach's room. I'll send down the stylist and a guard to get her ready. Go!"

He nodded and put the girl back in the sack. He hauled her over his shoulders and rushed out.

I picked up the phone to call the stylist. I consider calling someone to reprimand the boy, but I decided I had no time for that.

**Well all that happened. This was a shorter chapter again, but whatever, I pretty much already have the next one, which is longer. So Bowser…may not be happy with the improvisation. Maybe… well please review and tell me what you think! That one review is looking awfully lonely in there…**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey, so last chapter we see this plan for a dinner come up. Well, here's how Bowser and Fawn reacts to her kidnapping. Oh, also, I fixed up some stuff in Chapter 1. The only slightly significant change is that I named the forest Fawn lives in. It's now called Tanooki Forest. Don't worry, this isn't very significant. I just figured it should have a name, so I'll incorporate the name in to the plot. You'll see later. Enjoy!**

**Fawn: aLilBoredKid8 doesn't own anything...but I think I already said that. He only owns Forest Village, Tanooki Forest, me, Cult, Robin, and Jimmy...oh, so that's who Jimmy is...**

* * *

Chapter 5: First Night

**Fawn**

I woke up slowly, feeling very disoriented. _Wh...what? What happened to me?_

_Pink..._

I looked around. I was on something plush and comfy, I could tell that much. I sat up and focused. It was a bed. I looked around me drearily.

_It's...pink..._

Ordinarily, when I wake up, I don't really pay attention to anything. I can't focus on my surroundings until at least fifteen minutes later. But this room was an exception. It was almost as though it was all popping out at me.

_Why is it so...pink in here?_

Indeed, the whole room was practically bathed in bright, hot pink. I vaguely started making it all out. The bed I was on was a king sized bed with pink sheets. There were two night stands on each side of it. There were two plush pink chairs in the corner. There was a magenta dresser with some weird stuff on top of it, makeup maybe. On top of that was a flat glass thing. I don't get it, if it's a window, what does it look out to? Wait...wait...oh wow, it's a TV. We only have a few of those back home, and this was one of those nice TVs. Next to the dresser was a closet. Next to that was a door leading to a balcony. Finally, the carpet was magenta and the walls pink.

The brightly colored atmosphere made me wake up faster. Plus I was slowly realizing I wasn't supposed to be here. _It's so...bright! What is this place?_

I stopped and thought. _Is this Peach's room? It certainly seems like Peach's room...what happened? I remember something getting put on my face, and I think I knocked out...maybe I got brought here when Peach found me unconscious. But that was chloroform that knocked me out, wasn't it? Cult told me about that, it definitely sounds like chloroform. So why was I knocked out with it? Who would do that? ...It wouldn't have to do with the gift at all, would it? I've heard that friends like to surprise each other with gifts, like blindfolding each other...I suppose that's okay? It's a little odd, but would Cult let them? I don't feel like he would…he's to protective of that, I'm sure he'd find it weird to knock me out too. So then…what happened? Well…I can almost say for sure that this Peach's room. It's all pink, and I was just in the castle, so it makes sense...maybe someone did sneak up on me, for whatever reason, but couldn't-_

I turned my head at the sound of the door opening. A Koopa Troopa girl walked in. She had a blonde bowl cut, with light pink eye shadow, pink lipstick, and a magenta shell, which matches her eyes. She was quite pretty. I noticed she was carrying a long bag of some kind. "Well, morning doll. How long have you been awake?"

I instantly shrunk back, afraid of the new person. She laughed a little. "What? Afraid I'll bite?"

I frowned. "Koopas bite people?" I pondered.

She raised an eyebrow at my question. "Um…well no, we don't bite to hurt people, or at least not normal Koopas. We do it to eat though," she answered, laughing. I shrunk back more when I realized I had thought aloud. Unfortunately, that was enough to make me fall off the bed.

"Ow..." I moaned, landing on my rear.

She jogged to my side. "You okay doll? How'd you fall off?"

I looked away. "I...I'm fine...I guess I wasn't paying attention..." I quietly said.

I got up, not noticing her hand to help me, and backed away slightly from her.

She ignored my unfriendly actions and smiled. "Well, you never answered my question. How long have you been waiting on me, doll?"

I waited a little before answering. "I'm not sure...maybe five minutes."

She nodded. "Well glad you didn't get to bored. Sorry we had to lock the door, but-"

"You locked the door?" I blurted.

She raised a brow again. "Yes...you didn't know?"

I looked toward the door. "I hadn't thought of trying the door..."

She stared at me a bit before laughing. "My, you aren't very good at getting kidnapped, are you doll? That's okay, who is?"

I quickly turned my head to her, not sure if I heard her right. "Kid...kidnapped?" I whispered.

She stared at me, before sighing. "Oh dang. I assumed that you would've been awake before at some point to realize, or somebody else could've told you. Guess I'm the one to break it to you. Thanks for that, Kamek..." She grumbled. She grew a sympathetic eye. "I'm sorry doll, but yes, you've been kidnapped."

My mind raced at a mile a minute. _Kidnapped? Kidnapped!? How did that happen!? Why would I be kidnapped!? How did it happen!? Where is everyone!? Wha...what's going to happen to me!? Did this happen because I'm human? Do they want information like Peach did? What do I do? What am I supposed to do!? How do you react in a situation like this!? Why did this even happen!?_

"Wh...why?" I found myself asking, almost more to myself then to the Koopa, my voice shaking.

"I'm sorry doll," she said sympathetically. "We were supposed to kidnap Peach, but we ended up kidnapping you..."

My eyes widened. _"It'll be like living a day as Princess Peach!" Peach said._

_Oh...I get it. I was right. Being kidnapped is a part of being Princess Peach for a day. Or I suppose however long I'm supposed to live like this until I'm recused by the Mario Bros. Like Princess Peach would. That's the only logical reason, especially since she didn't say anything about information. Why else would I be kidnapped? I can't think of any logical reason…there's no way they found out about me ahead of time, and Peach even said it herself. It makes to much sense! _And it did, to me at least. I was freaking out, and needed to find a way to rationalize it, to convince myself I was okay. _I'm not sure if I approve, but maybe it'll be fun like Peach said. And besides, it's not like I'll be here long. Then it's okay then…it's not really real, everyone's working together. How or why everyone's working together right now just for this seems a little odd…but I can't afford to get off topic. I need to focus on what's actually happening now for once. Okay...okay...it's okay. I'm okay._

I sighed in relief at my revelation. "Okay...I understand."

Her eyes widened. "Really? You do?"

I nodded. "I guess."

She nodded, looking amazed. _I wonder why, this is supposed to be a routine for them, isn't it?_

"Well, you're a strong girl. I'm sure any other would be devastated in your position. What's your name?"

"Fawn..."

She frowned. "Fawn? Isn't that a baby deer?"

"Um...yes."

She shook her head. "Nope, can't call you that."

I stared at her. "Well...well why not? It's my name."

She winked and said, "Yeah, but your tougher then some delicate little deer. You need a tougher name than that or doll..." She looked me up and down and said, "But it still needs to be cute, because you are."

I blushed and mumbled, "Th-thank you..."

She grinned and snapped her fingers. "I got it! Cookie!"

I knit my brows, trying to understand it. "Cookie?"

She laughed and said, "Yeah, cuz you're a tough cookie!"

I contemplated it. _Oh...it's a nickname. I had that. A few people at the village called me human, or Trap Master..._

I nodded. "That's okay."

"Great! My name's Tina," she said, holding out her hand.

"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking her hand.

"Likewise. Well, let's get started!"

"Started? With what?"

She calmed down, probably remembering I had no idea what was happening. "Well...Bowser had arranged a dinner date with Peach. But sense you're here, you've sort of got to fill in for her..." She said, uneasily.

I nodded. _So I was right, I am filling in for Peach. That's good to know. Maybe this will be fun. I'll be meeting Bowser..._

I began thinking about what Bowser may be like._ Is he really six-five? Does he really have a spiked shell?_

"Oh, you're so understanding, I just love you, Cookie! Now um, listen...we need to get you fixed up, and I'm sort of your stylist. So we need to get you in the bath. I already drew it while you were asleep. You're cute, but not as much as Peach. Um…no offense. It's nothing fixing you up a bit won't fix!"

"Ok..."

"Great, you're awesome Cookie. Let's go!" I felt her take my hand and lead me somewhere. I heard a door open and I think I was moved through it.

_Does he really have red hair? Does he have that because of his fire? Or-_

I heard a door shut. "Ok, I'll give you some privacy. Please be quick, we don't have much time! Call me in when you're done so I can help you with your dress!"

"Ok..." I called vaguely. I stood there for a little bit before finally realizing I didn't even know where I was at the moment. "Wait...what?"

"Wash yourself! There are all the soaps you need, wash your hair, skin, everything! You're a little stinky! The bath salts and soaps are already in; you just need to scrub and wash your hair!" She called from behind the closed door.

"Oh...ok!" I answered. I looked around at my surroundings.

The bathroom was pristine white, with white tile floor, white walls, a porcelain toilet, a white marble counter with a sink and large mirror, and a clawed tub/shower, which had a floral curtain that had a towel hanging on the rack. It was very regal and clean looking. I noticed that the bag Tina had before was now hanging on a hook on the door. I also noticed the bath tub had soapy water already in it.

I shrugged and took off my clothes off before climbing in. I instantly sighed in content.

_Oh stars...I've never had a bath like this! _I only had a shower that spurted out room temperature water at home. But this was completely different. This water hot and clean with refreshing bath salts and soaps, it was bliss.

I eased myself in to the tub and lay back, relaxing. I was very at peace, my mind only containing a few thoughts, most about how good the bath was. A rare feat, I'd say. After a while, I remembered to start actually cleaning myself.

"Cookie, we don't have much time, you done yet?" I heard Tina call.

I realized I actually was done. "Um...yeah," I called back.

She walked in. "Okay, dry yourself off, I'll get out you dress. Don't worry, I won't look."

I nodded and got out, grabbing a towel, I dried myself off. After drying myself off, I wrapped the towel around me. I turned around to see Tina hanging the clothes bag on a hook on the door. She was still there. Still there...

I yelled and backed up, almost tumbling back in to the tub.

Tina looked at me, concerned. "What's wrong!?"

"You...you..." I stammered, pointing at her.

"What is it?"

I remember what Cult said about boundaries. I never cared much about them, but Cult said it was important. "You saw me naked!"

She stared a bit before chuckling. "No I didn't, Cookie, I was turned around."

"Well...you're not supposed to see me like this either!" I reasoned.

"Oh, it's fine Cookie. It's nothing I've seen before…really, it's true. I've even walked in on Peach before!" She laughed. "I'm friends with her, I'm her stylist too. And besides, we're both girls, and I'm your stylist. It's completely fine."

I frowned. _Why doesn't she care? Isn't she supposed to care? Cult said she would...wait. He also said it was okay, but should be avoided, with him and friends. Wait; girlfriends specifically. He mentioned that if it was a boy, it wasn't okay. I think he said he'd cut something of theirs off…wait, does this make hermy friend? She doesn't mind seeing me like this…and she's friends with Peach, who I'm supposed to be…_

"Wait...does that mean you're my friend?" I asked, just saying it.

She beamed. "Well, sure! If you'd like to be. I'd love to be friends with a cool, pretty girl like you, if you'd like!"

I found myself smiling back. "That does sound nice."

She looked me over and said, "See, I was right! You look great! Here, let's just blow dry your hair really quick…" She grabbed something off the counter; I'm assuming that was a blow dryer. I've heard of them, they're for drying your hair off fast.

"Okay, come over here," she said, standing by the wall with the blow dryer in hand, which I noted was connected to the wall.

I did as told and stood in front of her. "Turn around." I did, and I heard a loud noise. I jumped a little. "It's okay, it's only the blow dryer," she said. I calmed down after hearing this, nodding.

I felt a hot blast of wind start blowing on my hair, warming the skin underneath, and my shoulder and back where my damp hair felt. It actually felt rather nice.

"So, you've never seen one of these before?"

I shook my head, only slightly so as not to move my hair. "No. My village doesn't have a lot of this stuff…" I felt like I needed to thank her for the bath. "Oh…thank you for the bath. It was really nice."

She chuckled. "Glad you enjoyed it. Where do you come from?"

"Forest Village."

"Forest Village? Huh, never heard of it. What's it like?"

I remembered Cult's told me before that the village was largely unknown to outsiders. "Oh… it's rather small, and apparently it doesn't have a lot of stuff. We hunt and gather mainly, both for our own food, and to sell sometimes I think. It's in a forest, so maybe that's why no one's heard of it…" I considered.

"Maybe, it sounds cool. Alright, all done!" She said, patting my back.

I turned to the mirror and saw it was completely straight, as it gets when I wash it. She whistled. "Well, looks like I was right! You are a vision! I love how straight your hair gets, I haven't seen that with any other human girl," she complimented.

I blushed again. It was nice to receive compliments. "Thank you…" I realized that may have not been enough. "Uh…you're pretty too!"

She chuckled and said, "Thanks Cookie. You're a good girl." She waked to the door and picked up the clothes bag.

"Okay! Now to get this dress on you..." She paused and noticed my clothes on the floor. "Oh... well no wonder they were so obvious."

"What?"

She paused, looking like she was considering her words, before carefully asking, "You don't wear a bra, do you Cookie?"

"A bra?" I echoed. I remembered what it was. "Oh those. My village doesn't have them."

She considered this. "Huh. Well there aren't many humans out there. And no other race really needs them. That's understandable, especially if your village isn't very industrious. Did you not need to wear one there?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

"Okay, well…here you're going to need one. Without it your um...breasts are somewhat obvious, since human females have the second largest, next to Dragon Koopas. And your clothes don't do much to hide them, unlike other races."

"Why do I need to hide them?"

"Well…it's just sort of…not okay here. It's considered…um…wrong, for girls to walk around with their breasts visible."

"Oh...well, okay," I said, nodding. I remembered there was a time where Cult told me about that. He said that it was more polite to make me hide them a little, since everyone else did. He tried to make me wrap bandages around them, but that hurt to much, and I always forgot to wear it, and hated wearing it. So he said if anyone commented on it he'd beat them up. No one really did. But I guess it's more important here.

"Okay Cookie, just hang on. I prepared for this." She rummaged through the bag some more and pulled out some weird lacy thing. _Oh, so that's a bra._ "Here, I'll help. Let's hope you're the same size as Peach..."

She taught me how to put on, sort of. She told me to place the two cup things on my breasts and hold them there for a second, and she did the rest. She was behind me the whole time, with my towel covering my waist, so she didn't see anything. She did some weird things with the straps in the back, and when she was done, it stayed in place. She also gave me a new pair of undergarments to change in to while she looked away, since mine were old. It was lacy, which was weird. Why is it so ornate if no one can see it? Is the point to get someone to see it?

"How does it feel?" She asked. It was more comfortable then the bandages, but it still felt a little tight.

"Um...can it be looser?"

She shook her head. "Sorry. Maybe you're a sight bit larger then Peach...or maybe you're not used to it. Well, let's get your dress on."

She took the dress off the hangar and I stared at it. It was a pink dress with silver glitter linings, and had all those weird ornaments that Peach's dress has. In fact, it looks like something she'd wear. I hadn't ever worn a dress like that before, all my clothes were knit. _Geez, it's so big! And what are all those laces for? How do I even get it on? _She slipped it over my head and arms found their way out the sleeves. After that, she began to tie a bunch of other stuff that apparently went with the dress. It hugged my waist and chest in a weird way, I wasn't sure if it was supposed to do that._ Why are these clothes so complicated?_

"Ok, hang on, I'm going to get some makeup," Tina said.

"Why?" I asked, remembering what Cult told me about it.

"So you'll look all pretty!" She said happily.

"Didn't you say I was pretty just a little bit ago?" I asked. I don't understand, why do I have to wear all this stuff to eat with Bowser? Is that a rule here? The prettiest eats the most? Does Bowser have to wear makeup?

She observed me a bit before nodding. "You know what...you're right. You could use a little foundation maybe, but not really. Plus...with the dress you're wearing, it may look a little goofy."

She stepped back and observed me. She looked unsatisfied. "Yeah, this dress was made for Peach, so it's not great for you...pink doesn't look great on you. Plus it's to big, Peach is taller." Sure enough, the dress piled a little on the floor. I myself decided to look at myself. I never gave much attention to my appearance, but this felt very odd. I looked so...out of place in this dress. I didn't like it either. "Oh well, it's what we got," she said. She clapped her hands and said, "You still look gorgeous."

We heard a knock at the door. "Tina!" A muffled, young, masculine voice called. "She done yet?"

"In a sec!" She called back. She turned to me. "Okay, a Koopa guard come to pick you up."

I frowned, growing nervous at the prospect of meeting someone else. "You aren't taking me?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm busy. But don't worry, this guy's nice! Don't be scared…" She stopped to consider something. "Well, actually, he's a bit of a perv sometimes. Just ignore him if he bothers you."

I remembered Cult said pervs were bad people. That made me a little scared. "Okay..."

"Alright! Well, I've got to collect my stuff. Good luck with Bowser, Cookie!" She said encouragingly, lightly pushing me toward the door.

"O-okay...bye," I said, turning around to wave before remembering to thank her. I'd had a good time with her. "O-oh! And um…thank you for the bath. And dress. And compliments. And uh…for being my friend!"

She observed me for a bit before saying, "You know, you're a funny one. I like you, glad to be your friend too."

"Bye Cookie!" I heard her say before I opened the door.

* * *

**Bowser**

I looked at myself in the mirror. I had washed myself up, put a dab of cologne, washed my hair and combed it back, and put on a glossy dark green shell with obsidian linings where the back met the front. I flexed in the mirror and made a face.

_Oh yeah...sexy as ever._

I laughed loudly before looking down._ I just wonder if Peach'll actually think that... _I shook my head. _No, no, of course she will! She definitely will. I mean, she hasn't before...but I'm feeling it! I just know tonight's going to be a hit with her. First she'll look away, embarrassed when she sees how good I look. When I tell her how good she looks, she'll blush. She'll try and ignore me using the food, but she'll just have to tell me how good it is. Then we'll have a laugh and...talk. We'll talk, and hear her sweet voice. Then I'll tell her I love her...and then-_

"Bowser?" I whipped my head around to see that infernal Kamek standing there. Damn him, I don't care how close we are, he interrupted my dream again.

I groaned and curtly said, "What?"

He adjusted his spectacles and cleared his throat. I raised a brow. He only did that when there was bad news.

"Sir, there's been a...mistake," he said, sounding careful.

I growled. "What is it?"

He adjusted his spectacles again and said, "Well...we may've...you see..."

"Out with it!" I yelled.

"It seems as though...we kidnapped...the wrong girl," he finally said.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. I slowly started to speak. "What?"

"Erm..." He started nervously. "The Koopa Kidnapper squad got the wrong girl...a rookie was sent, and we got a different girl, not Peach. I'm-"

"WHAT!?" I roared.

He shrunk back a little. "I'm sorry, milord."

"What do you mean you're sorry!?" I roared, incredulously. "HOW the HELL do you get the wrong girl!?"

"Well...apparently the rookie didn't actually know what Peach looked like-"

"You sent someone that didn't even know what she LOOKED LIKE!?" I roared, furiously.

"I didn't know when I sent him! He just assumed that the only human girl would be Peach, so he captured the first one he saw."

I raised a brow curiously, finding it weird that there was another human girl at the castle. "Well, who'd he kidnap!? Daisy?"

Kamek shrugged and said, "We're actually not sure..."

_What the hell?_ "What do you mean!?"

"We've never seen or heard of this human girl, it's really quite astounding and coincidental that we got her."

I stared at him, still stuck, before groaning. _Go figure. Of course this would happen! I decided to actually trust someone, with such a simple task, kidnapping a princess. Couldn't get much simpler, really! And they somehow get the wrong girl. Just my luck!_

"Great, I ask for Peach, and I get nada. Just freaking great!" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. I began to walk toward the bed.

"You still have this new girl!" Kamek replied, walking after me.

"What do I want with some useless girl!?" I yelled, plopping on my bed.

"She's not useless," Kamek reasoned, standing in front of me now. "We have one of the only humans in existence, and there's no information on her. She could be important, she may've been if she was at Peach's castle."

"I don't care! I wanted Peach, that's who I ask for, that's who I've always asked for! What makes you think I'll change that now!?" _How does he not get that!?_

Kamek sighed and said, "Yes, you always pursue Peach...which is why it may be time to try and pursue another girl."

I turned my head to meet Kamek's eyes and glared. "Oh, so that's what this is about. This old speech, I've been hearing it nonstop lately. Bet you kidnapped that human girl on purpose."

"Sir, that's not-"

"'Hey there, you young whippersnapper,'" I imitated, in an overdone old person voice. "'You need to stop skirt chasing that one girl. She's a distraction, keeping you from doing that super important paperwork. There are plenty of lovely ladies out there, like Birdo!

"Very funny, but-"

"Think I have a thing for her? Nope, I have a thing for PEACH!"

"Why!?" Kamek asked, irately.

My expression softened in surprise, not expecting that. "Well...cuz-"

Kamek sighed exasperatedly. "Look, you're always chasing after Peach. It isn't working, and you always get upset when she rejects you and when Mario takes her away."

I looked at him in surprise. "I don't feel that way..." I said, more to myself then to him. "I just might look upset when she leaves, but it's only cuz I hate Mario!"

"I'm sure you do," he said, giving me some damn sympathetic look. "But I can tell Peach's rejections hurt you. And I hate to see you hurt."

I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it. Whatever I was going to say didn't feel right.

We stayed like that in silence. Kamek was the one to break it.

"I didn't cancel the dinner, you know."

I paused a bit before speaking with a little forced venom. "What do you mean, geezer?"

"I mean the dinner is still on. You'd be eating with the new human girl."

_What? Eat with the new girl...that's...that's dumb._ "I don't want to..." I mumbled. That sounded a lot weaker than I thought it would.

Kamek smiled and said, "Come on, it'll be fun. Who knows, she could be really fun. I know for sure she was pretty." He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Nope, don't feel like it."

"Plus, think of all the information you can get from her. You know how important humans are in this world. Maybe she has some secret information. Like I don't know...how to defeat Mario, rule the world, make someone love you," he persisted.

I mumbled in thought. I was beginning to maybe, possibly consider it.

He smiled knowingly. "And, I asked to have the chef prepared your favorite. King Cheepcheep, served medium rare with your favorite brand of CheepCheep oil."

The reasons were really starting to like on. I groaned and got up. "Fine, I'll go," I huffed, walking toward the door.

I could practically feel Kamek smiling. I wasn't going to let him off with a win.

"That's the last time I trust the Koopa Kidnapper Squad!" I yelled behind me, before slamming the door.

* * *

**Fawn**

I stared at the boy in front of me. He looked to be relatively young, with a bright face and purple shell.

"Hey there," he said. "I'll be escorting you to the dining hall.

I scooted away a little and nodded. "Ok...thanks."

He made a gesture down the hall. "Okay, follow me."

I nodded and we began to walk down the halls.

We had only walked a short distance when I saw a painting hanging on the wall that caught my eye. I stopped and walked toward it. Noticing I had stopped, he turned around.

"What's wrong?" He asked, walking next to me.

I didn't answer, as I was busy staring at the painting. It was a painting of what I think may've been a Dragon Koopa. I'd heard of them, I knew Bowser's one, but I'd never seen one. The painting depicted a man with straight, dull rainbow colored hair. His face, in juxtaposition to his hair, was stern and looking off in to the distance. The top of his head had green scales, and the rest of his body had the same color scales as normal Koopas. He presented an air of royalty and domination. To be honest, I was somewhat awed by him.

_He looks...incredible. He really does resemble a dragon...he's so powerful looking, so...awesome! He looks like something from a dream!_

"Oh, that's king William! He was a really great king, really strong. Kind of made us how we are today. He's King Bowser's grandfather," I heard the Koopa say with pride.

"I...see," I said absently, moving my hand toward the painting. I just wanted to feel closer to him, to meeting someone, something like that, something that only comes from my dreams. It feels like I've seen something like him before, even though I haven't.

A hand grabbed my outstretched one. I turned my head to see it was the Koopa's. "Sorry lady, but no touching the painting."

I let him retract my hand. "Sorry..."

"It's okay. Come on, we'll be late." He tugged me a little and released me. I started to follow him again.

We walked through the halls made of cobblestone, with torches lighting them. It was a rather pretty effect, especially with the paintings and statues littering the halls as well. The Koopa turned to me and said, "You know, I don't know your name, funny enough. What is it?"

"Oh um...Fawn," I answered, maintaining a distance. I wasn't sure if he was going to be a 'perv' like Tina said he might.

"Fawn huh? Nice name. Mine's Jimmy. Nice to meet you!" he answered, smiling. His smile seemed a little nervous.

I nodded and we continued walking. Jimmy continued to talk.

"Soooo...you like Dragon Koopas or something?"

I pondered that answer before nodding. "Yes, they look very...fantastic, I think..." A thought came to mind. "Um...Bowser's a Dragon Koopa, right?

"That's right." He grinned mischievously and asked, "Do you uh...have a 'thing' for Dragon Koopas? Like Bowser?"

I frowned. _A thing? What does he mean? What thing would I have for him? ...Wait, this is a dinner with a king? Was I supposed to bring something? Like a gift?_ I grew nervous and said, "Oh, um...I'm sorry...I don't have anything for Dragon Koopas..."

He sighed and said, "Oh well, not like I really expected you to."

I grew worried and said, "Sorry..."

He waved his hand. "It's fine, not your fault. And who knows, maybe you will once you meet him..." He chuckled nervously.

I raised a brow. _Why would I have a thing for him after the dinner? What does...oh, that painting's lovely,_ I thought, getting distracted from the conversation.

We kept walking until I walked smack in to a door.

"Ow..." I mumbled, rubbing my nose.

"Sorry! I thought you'd have seen it..." Jimmy apologized.

"It's okay..." I said, used to it.

"Well this is the dining hall. The waiter will direct you once you walk in."

"Okay. Thank you," I said, ready to open the door.

"Wait." I turned to him, and he looked like he was thinking about his words. He exhaled before speaking in a thoughtful tone. "Listen…I don't know Bowser to well personally. I do know he may come off as a little mean at first…but he's a nice guy. So could you…be nice to him? I mean, if you could?"

I thought about it. And once I did, I realized I really ought to. So far, I'd been having a lot of fun so far. I had a great bath, and saw this cool castle and paintings, and got to make friends with Tina, and maybe this Jimmy fellow, who didn't seem as bad as Tina made him to be. And if Peach really is involved, I should be nice to Bowser for her, since I also became friends with her. _Plus, maybe he could potentially throw me out if I'm a nuisance…_

"Of course," I said with certainty.

He looked surprised. "Really? Wow…thanks! You're pretty nice…"

I blushed a little, once again enjoying a compliment. "Thank you…" I turned to the door again. "Well, I'll see you."

"Um..." Jimmy stammered. I turned to him and saw him pushing his fingers together in a nervous manner. "Listen...I've got something to apologize for..."

"What is it?"

"I um...I...sorry if you don't like your food! See ya later!" Jimmy said quickly, before hurrying off.

"I'll make sure to like it!" I called back. I faced the door and gulped, feeling anxious, before pushing it open.

* * *

**Well, there was some awkwardness in that chapter, wasn't there? Poor Fawn...you don't know what you're doing, do you? If her reasoning seems ridiculous, well, she's a ridiculous girl in the ridiculous world of Mario, in a ridiculous fanfic, so all is well. But more importantly THEY'RE FINALLY GONNA MEET! That took FOREVER, UGH! Well, thanks for those of you that have actually stuck with me! Please review, or favorite, or follow. Or I dunno, just do something. Go for a jog, go to work, finish that summer work you've been procrastinating on...which I'm gonna go do now, actually...bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Yay got my second review! Thank you angela, you're review was very nice! Don't worry, I'm gonna stick with it for a while at least. Well, this chapter's long since they FINALLY MEET. Thank god. Anyway, it's mainly long cuz of all the POV changes. I felt as though it's necessary, since they both will have very different out looks. Don't worry, I'll try not to make it to repetitive feeling. Well, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Dinner for two

**Fawn**

I walked in to the dining hall. The first thing I noticed was that it was somewhat dark, there only being a few torches on the wall, and a few candles on a fancy, two person dinner table in the center of the table.

I stood there for a few seconds, not sure of what to do, until a Koopa with a bow tie walked up to me.

"Hello ma'am," he spoke in a smooth tone. "King Bowser has not arrived yet, so you may be seated and wait until he's arrived."

"Oh, um, oka-" I was interrupted by the door on the other side of the room opening. What I could identify as a Dragon Koopa walked in. _So that's Bowser... _We both stared at each other for a little bit, mouth me observing his features. He was huge, really standing at six-five, maybe taller, and a bulky physique. Just about every muscle surged with power, he looked very imposing. He had flame red hair, and the sane facial scales as the Dragon Koopa I saw before, except his features were a little more rugged._ He looks so...cool! But even more then that...he feels familiar. Like we've met almost..._

"What are you looking at?" I heard him grumble in a low octave. _Wow, that voice is so low!_

"I _said _what're you looking at?" He said a little louder. I snapped out of it and began to blush madly. _Oh damn, Cult told me you're not supposed to stare_! "Um...I...uh," I stammered. I finally squeaked, "Sorry!"

I could see him roll his eyes, even in the dim lighting.

The waiter quickly said, "Well why don't you two have a seat?" He said, gesturing to the table. Bowser walked towards the table, the floor shaking a little with his steps. _His footsteps are so loud! Cool!_

"Madame?" I heard the waiter question. I realized I was just standing there.

"Oh! Sorry!" I said, quickly, before rushing to my seat. I heard Bowser sigh, which made me cringe a little. _Cult was right...people do get upset when you're not paying attention! I need to focus._

**Bowser**

I made my way down the hall. _Ugh...I still can't believe they kidnapped the wrong girl. This new one better have some good information on her..._

I didn't think about Kamek's idea of liking her, because I didn't think that would happen. _Peach is who I love._

I walked in to the room with a sour face, and looked ahead of me. I saw the human girl, and I had a different reaction then I thought I would come over me. Like I had déjà vu or something, this girl just seemed familiar. I looked at her to see if I really did know her. She had long, straight black hair and a light tan. She was also wearing a pink dress. Peach's dress. This snapped me out of it and I growled.

_That dress looks stupid on her. Why'd they give her Peach's dress? She shouldn't be wearing that..._

I noticed that she hadn't noticed I had growled. In fact, she hadn't seemed to notice I had been staring at her for a bit, to my delight. She seemed to be in a complete daze. She was just staring at me, with this stupid look on her face. Like a kid that goes to the zoo for the first time._ She thinks I'm a freak, doesn't she? A monster. An ugly monster. I swear, everyone from outside the Darklands does..._

"What're you looking at?" I grumbled. She seemed to be grow more fascinated, which made me more irritated. This was getting on my nerves, I didn't like this dumb girl staring at me. "I said, what are you looking at?" I said, louder and more irritated.

"Oh...I...uh," she stammered. I duly noted that she had a somewhat high voice, but not quite Peach's soprano. "Sorry!" She squeaked, pathetically. I rolled my eyes at her. _Typical outside girl. This'll be real fun._

The waiter quickly attempted to break the tension. "Why don't you two have a seat?"

I walked to my seat, the bigger one made of stone, and sat down.

"Madame?" I heard the waiter say. I turned my head to see her quickly say "Oh! Sorry!" before rushing to her seat.

I sighed, knowing she was taking in the monster. Some ran away, some observed from a distance. But the perception was the same. She seemed to cringe when I sighed, not that I really payed attention to it.

"Well," the waiter said, standing by table. "Tonight we've prepared a good dinner for the two of you. Madame, I'm sorry, but we've already prepared the meal we thought Princess Peach would appreciate, so you'll have to suffice with that."

"Oh...yes, of course." She said with certainty. _Well at least she's not a spoiled brat._

"Glad to hear your understanding. Milord, as per your request, Kamek ordered the meal to be made, and it's almost completion now. We're sorry that there's any delay, but we had to make dinner for the Koopalings as well, and we wanted to make the perfect meal for you two."

"That's why I asked ahead of time," I grumbled. Cooking for the Koopalings and I takes the entire kitchen staff to cook for. Feeding us both combined is like feeding two Chain Chomps. I knew there'd even still be a delay, but I was expecting it, and was almost looking forward to it. Because it meant more time with Peach.

He left and I was left with this girl who I didn't even know. I looked at her and saw her staring in to space. I groaned softly and looked down. _This is freaking awful, I'm stuck with some dumb bitch! I was considering leaving, when I remembered one of the reasons why I came down here in the first place._

I sighed loudly and asked, "What's your name?"

She jumped a little in her stupor. "Huh?" She said dumbly, breaking out of her stupid trance.

I growled. "I said, what's your name?"

"Oh...Fawn," she said, nervously.

"Fawn what?" I asked, hoping to get more information from her with her last name. I was hoping that maybe she'd be a relative of Peach or Daisy or something.

"My name's Fawn Forest..." She said.

I sighed. _Weird name...but it doesn't hold any info, as far as I know._

We sat in silence for a bit until she spoke again. "Um...I'm sorry if I made you mad..."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Stupid."

She frowned and said, "I don't think I'm stupid. I just wasn't paying attention, that's all."

I noticed her tone shift, and when I looked at her questioningly, she seemed to be embarrassed. I rolled my eyes again. "Whatever."

The food hadn't come yet, so I decided that she was still worth some more prodding.

"Where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm from a village called Forest Village. It's a village in a forest...but you probably haven't heard of it though..."

I shook my head. _So far she is completely useless to me! This is a bust. Screw it, might as well go for broke and mess with her. Not like she's important at all._

"Got any secret information on how to defeat Mario?" I asked sarcastically, now playing with my silverware.

I think she quirked up a little. "Well actually-"

"Here are your meals," the waiter interrupted, walking in with two dinner platers. I grinned with delight. _Oh thank the stars, finally!_

"For our Majesty we have a King CheepCheep, cooked to your liking, with a mutton for the side, and a Koopale." He placed the larger plate in front of me. _Oh damn, this looks good!_

"And for the lady, we have our best salad, mixed in with seasoned pieces of CheepCheep, with a fruit smoothie." He placed the smaller plate in front of her.

"Oh, why thank you," Fawn replied.

I sighed, looking at the food she was brought. It was the usual salad cuisine they usually made so well, except they added an odd twist. Peaches were put in with it all. _Well, they did a good job picking out food for Peach..._

Paying no more attention to Fawn, I dug in.

**Fawn**

"Madame, I'm sorry, but we've already prepared the meal we thought Princess Peach would appreciate, so you'll have to suffice with that," the waiter said to me.

_Hm...well that makes sense. I need to eat what Peach would eat. Well, they're really going all out with this. _"Oh...yes, of course," I replied.

"Glad to hear your understanding. Milord..." _Yes! I seemed to do something right at least! Even Bowser seemed to be impressed! I feel bad, he seems to be so upset with me. I owe him, so that won't do...okay, I really need to pay atten-_

"What's your name?"

"Huh?" I asked, jumping a little. _Oh damn._

This seemed to irritate him further, as he growled. _Dang it._ "I said, what's your name?"

"Oh...Fawn."

"Fawn what?"

"My name's Fawn Forest..."

He seemed dissatisfied with the answer.

_Oh shoot, what did I do wrong? I made him mad...I don't want to make him mad. Wait...was I supposed to say I'm Peach? No, Jimmy and Tina didn't say anything when I said my name...I need to apologize though._

"Um...I'm sorry if I made you mad..."

"Stupid."

I frowned._ I don't think I'm stupid. I just wasn't paying attention, that's all._

He looked at me oddly. _Oh shoot, I said that out loud! I need to stop that!_

I felt embarrassed, more so when he rolled his eyes again and muttered, "Whatever..."

He paused a bit before asking, "Where you from?"

I can answer this. "Oh, I'm from a village called Forest Village. It's a village in a forest...but you probably haven't heard of it though."

He looked dissatisfied again. _I don't understand, what am I doing wrong!?_

"Got any secret information on how to defeat Mario?" He sounded sarcastic. _Why? Is he expecting me to screw up again? Well...I'll show him!_

I propped myself up. "Well actually-"

I was interrupted by the waiter, who came with our food.

I was annoyed at the interruption, and had considered telling Bowser how he could defeat Mario. It wasn't secret information, just something I had thought about in a daydream with the information I was given.

However, Bowser seemed to completely forget about me, so I decided it was best not to mention it. _You know, why am I trying so hard to make him like me? I was only told that I should try to make him happy, but I don't have to. I mean, Peach doesn't have to, so why should I? I'm happy he did this and all, but I won't put up with this. _I decided that I'd go with this logic for the rest of the night. I simply waited until I was addressed.

"And for the lady, we have our best salad, mixed in with seasoned pieces of CheepCheep."

"Oh, why thank you."

I looked over at Bowser, and then my logic wavered. He didn't just seem irritated. He seemed sad, or disappointed. I frowned. _I wonder what's wrong with him...I don't think it's right to just leave him like this._

With this in mind, I looked at him to speak. But all I got to see was him tearing in to his food with his hands, paying no mind to me. This reminded me of my food, and my stomach growled. I realized that I hadn't eaten since this morning, and I was starving. I grabbed hold of one of the pieces of CheepCheep in the salad and ate it. It was delicious, it had the light taste of meat that all fish had, but with a sweet tang. I soon began to eat very quickly, trying to satisfy my hunger. I then tried to quench my thirst with the fruit smoothie, which was also delicious, and tasted predominately like peaches. After I was actually rather disappointed that I had such a meager meal, but it would have to do for now. Only after I was half way done did I bother to look up.

Bowser was standing there, with a sort of funny grin on his face. _He's grinning! That's nice...but why?_

I considered it, and then I realized I had been eating the salad, dressing and all, with my hands, and quite ravenously too. I'd say I was similar to Bowser most likely_. I guess he found that funny..._ I thought, smiling to myself. _I'm not sure why though, it's relatively often that we eat like that at home. And plus he was eating the same way!_ As I was thinking, I felt something fall off my face. Bowser started laughing at me when it did. I looked at the table and saw it was a lettuce leaf. I had a feeling I had a print of dressing on my cheek. If Bowser wasn't laughing, I'd be pretty embarrassed that I'd have done something wrong. _But he is, so it's a good thing! ...You know, it is pretty funny._

Next thing I knew, I started laughing with him. At first it was just a chuckle, but as I continued to hear him laugh, mine grew louder and louder until I was outright laughing. When I started laughing, he stopped and stared at me. I was afraid I did something wrong, but he started laughing again. There was something about not knowing what I was laughing about that made me laugh harder.

"You...you..." He breathed. He calmed down and said, "What was that!?"

"What? The eating, or the other thing? You laughed at both," I said, smiling curiously, feeling looser now that I had laughed with him.

"Both! I've never seen a girl eat like that!" He said, grinning. He chuckled and said, "That was damn hilarious, and unexpected."

_Unexpected? Oh wait, I remember, table manners mean more outside the village. Especially with girls...I guess that would be funny! But wait, what about royalty? _"Well, what about you? Aren't you royalty?"

He scoffed. "Oh please, I'm to strong and cool for a fork and knife."

I looked at his claws. They were so big, he really did look like he could crush silverware with ease. I stared at them and murmured, "Yeah...I'll bet."

His face melted in to a more quizzical expression. Then he locked on to some part of me and suddenly grew cold again.

"Well, you shouldn't eat like that in other people's clothing," he said, his tone suddenly cold.

I frowned, noticing the change. _Oh no, what did I do wrong?_

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

"None of your business," he said coldly. He resumed eating, more composed now.

I frowned, a little hurt. I thought we were getting along finally, when he ruined it. I tried to think of a way to cheer him up, but I was blanking, which was rare. Must've been from the pressure. Eventually I decided to just eat again, this time with a fork.

Time passed and tension grew between us, both eating in silence. Eventually I grew tired of this, I wanted to know why he was acting like this.

"I...I would like it to be my business," I said, nervous again. I wasn't sure if I was going to offend him more.

"What did you say?" He said, even icier then before.

"Why are you so upset? ...I'd like to know..." I finally asked.

He scowled and said, "Man, you're dumb. I don't feel like explaining anything to a girl as stupid as you."

The insult really did hurt, as I'd been called that before. _I'm not dumb...I'm just not...paying attention, and am new to all this...I'm trying but...maybe I am just dumb. _I thought about my situation._ Why've I been so accepting of all that's happened? Am I just being dumb? For trusting Peach and him? For wanting to leave the village? Am I handling everything that's happened dumbly? _I whimpered a little bit._ What am I doing right now? Am I...whimpering? He's hurting me...I...I need to do something. I need to if he's hurting me, but I don't know if I even should be hurt. No…no, I...I don't care if I'm dumb! Even if I am, I'm still having fun out here! I'm handling it all the way I can! I'm not dumb for that!_

I tried to tell him that he was being mean, that he hurt me, that I wanted to know why he was hurt too, but also that I still was having fun. I looked up at him, and could only plainly ask, "Why are you being so mean?"

He looked a little guilty, I think, but he quickly grew mad and said, "Because! I..." As he was saying that, he was also looking at me. Something made him shrink back as he said, "Because...I wanted Peach here..." He grew angry again. "Not you!"

My face contorted in confusion. _Wait...that's why he's upset? But why...wasn't he the one who kidnaped me? In this whole thing so I can live a day like Peach? Why would he want Peach here if he's the one who kidnapped me?_ "What? Why? Didn't you kidnap me?"

"What!? No!" He said, surprised. "I didn't, some rookie on the Koopa Kidnapper Squad did or something. Didn't anyone tell you that?"

"No one did...I guess I just assumed," I said, realizing this. "So...does that mean...you're not in support of me being here?"

He paused for a second before snorting. "I wanted Peach."

I paused to consider all this_. Well...could it be possible that Bowser got out vetoed on this? Is that possible?_ I better ask him. I turned to ask, but I saw that he still looked upset. My face grew sympathetic. _Oh, now I feel worse about him feeling bad. He loves Peach, if I can recall. Of course he doesn't even want me here._ I paused at that thought. _Oh no...not only do I feel bad for him, but he may try and find a way to kick me out! I don't know what happen then! Maybe I'd get lost in the Darklands, forever...and then I'll get robbed...or eaten by a Chain Chomp! I thought about not only the dangers if leaving, but why I just didn't want to. I don't want to leave...the castle's cool looking! So is Bowser! And I made friends! Peach, and Tina, and maybe Mario and Jimmy. And the food is different, and I had a really good bath. I...I don't want to go! I'm having fun! _Now my resolution was made to make him happy again. _I...I'm going to make him happy. I'm not leaving just yet, and I'm not letting him be sad. I need to say something...I'll leave the questioning about what exactly is going on for later._

I spoke nervously. "Well...for one reason or another, I'm here. And for that I'm sorry. But...I'm here now!"

He scoffed. "So what?"

I gulped. _What could I do that could make him happy? Come on think...think..._

Coming up with an idea, I got out of my seat. I began to move towards him, noting that he was watching with a curious eye now. I stood in front of him now. I stood there, awkward and fidgeting. He was obviously eyeing me, confused.

I was thinking of just saying it before I remembered everything Char told me. I was a little out of practice, since I haven't really needed to do it since I was a kid, but I'll have to try.

I jerked out my hand quickly. "I...I'll be your friend!" His face turned to surprise when I said that, but he didn't take my hand like he was supposed to. So I grew anxious, and started just speaking what was on my mind in an attempt to cover myself. "I um...I'll be nice to you! And make you happy! Um...promise!"

Finishing what I wanted to say, I anxiously waited for a response. He continued to stare at me with that surprised yet inquisitive look, before muttering, "Huh," and looking away.

I felt my heart sink, knowing it didn't work. I grew sad as I realized he just didn't like me, and he didn't want to be my friend. _I don't blame him...he wanted Peach, the girl he loved, not some dumb girl he doesn't even know..._ I looked down and let my hand fall, finally giving up on him. But before it reached my side, Bowser quickly turned and grabbed it.

I looked up at him, shocked. He was still looking away, muttering, "Whatever."

I blinked before smiling largely as I shook his hand. However,I couldn't really move it, so he had to move it up and down for me. _Geez...he really is strong!_ I felt his hands, analyzing how his palm felt. His palm, apparently, was actually skin, unlike the rest of his body. Just really tough skin. I also noted his hand was very warm, like a furnace.

He let go of my hand and I remained smiling, although he looked nonchalant. I was very glad he was my friend. I actually think he is too, maybe a little, because he didn't look upset anymore.

We waited a little bit, both of us not sure of what to say. Eventually he cleared his throat and stood. "Well...looks like we've finished all the food." I looked at our plates. Indeed we had, I didn't even notice.

"Oh um...yeah, I guess so." I was unsure of what happened now.

"Well, we can pretty much leave. The waiter will come out eventually and see we left and clean the mess," he answered, simply.

"But um...I don't know my way back to my room..." I said, honestly.

He waved his hand in dismissal. "I'm sure whoever escorted you would come back to wait for you. He's probably waiting outside now. If not, just wait for him. Or ask a guard passing by to take you to Peach's room if he takes to long."

"Oh, okay." Before I let him leave though, I asked, "Just curious...why'd you laugh more when I laughed?"

He chuckled before regaining his nonchalance. "You have a really loud laugh."

I blushed. That's always been something Cult told me. "Oh...right, I get that..."

He nodded simply. We stood there in silence for a little longer, both of us not sure what to do again, I think, before he started walking to the door he came in from. "See ya," he called behind himself as he walked.

I wasn't sure what to say, since it was the last thing I'd say to him for the night, so I simply called back, "Oh, um...bye Bowser!" I felt like that wasn't enough. "Um...thanks for being my friend!"

He turned around to look at me, almost analytically. _Was it something I said?_ His face actually didn't go back to its aloofness like before, though. He continued to stare at me in this manner before simply saying, "Yeah."

Staring at me for a second longer, he turned away and walked out the door. I stared after the door for a little bit before shrugging, satisfied with his response.

Wasting no more time, I turned to the door I came from myself and walked out as well.

Once I was outside, I looked around. No one was there to pick me up. _ I guess I wait then._

I leaned against the door and smiled. _Well...that was fun!_

**Bowser**

I wasted no more time as I began to tear in to the food. I was done talking to this girl. _She has proven to be useless after all. And besides, the food looked to damn good!_

Since I didn't care about her, I definitely didn't care about how I was eating. So I ate like I usually do, which would be grabbing and eating it all with my hands, tearing it apart with my hands, slurping my drink noisily, eating quickly in a frenzy. I bet she was looking at me with disgust, not that I care.

After eating for a while though, I decided it'd be hilarious to see her face. All scrunched up in disgust. So, smirking, I looked up. I didn't see the face I was expecting to see. In fact, I didn't even see her face.

Her face was practically in the salad bowl, using her hands to eat all the fruits, vegetables, and fish. She was eating in a frenzy, occasionally stopping to slurp noisily at her drink, and I could see her hands were coated in dressing. I also saw that a lettuce leaf was stuck to her cheek. I struggled not to laugh. I didn't want to, she might take it as some message that I don't hate her. Which I do.

Finally, after I watched her eat, with her being engrossed with her food, she looked up, staring at me almost innocently. This made me want to laugh more. Then the leaf fell off her face, and her eyes followed it slowly, a print of dressing still on her cheek. I finally lost it.

I laughed out loud, finding her eating habits ridiculous. _Geez, she looked so freaking shy and dainty. Who knew she ate like that! _Although, as I was afraid she would, she smiled and started laughing as well. But I froze when I heard her laugh._ Oh geez...her laugh is loud! It's ridiculous! It rings too! This weirdo girl has a laugh almost as loud as mine! _I found this hilarious, and began laughing again. She continued to laugh with me.

_Huh...well I guess laughing isn't so bad. I mean I'm laughing at her, not with her._ But part of me knew that wasn't true. Part of me knew we were laughing at something like idiots together, even though we barely knew each other. Part of me may've liked that.

I found it so funny, I ended up talking. "You...you...what was that!?"

"What? The eating, or the other thing? You laughed at two things." She was smiling now. She seemed looser.

"Both! I've never seen a girl eat like that...that was damn funny, and unexpected!"

"Well, what about you? Aren't you royalty?"

"Oh please, I'm to strong and cool for a fork and knife."

I don't know how I expected her to react, but I know it wasn't how she did. "Yeah, I'll bet..."

My humor left me and I looked at her, confused. _What did she just say? Is she...agreeing with me? Why would she do that? Hell, now that I think about it, she doesn't even look scared of me...that's weird._

I noticed something on the shoulder of her dress. It was a drop of dressing. I frowned. _That's isn't her dress...that's Peach's. What am I thinking, laughing with this girl? She's like the others in the end. She just looks like one of the kiss asses._ There were a few non-Koopa girls that put up with their disgust of me, just to get the perks of dating a king. Even non-Koopa girls did this, they just weren't disgusted by me.

"Well...you shouldn't eat like that in other peoples clothing." _I have to shut her out now, I don't want to deal with her._

This stopped her in her tracks, as she shut up and continued eating. But that didn't last.

"I...I would like it to be my business..."

"What did you say?" _She was taking this to far, she needs to give up on milking me already._

"Why are you so upset? ...I'd like to know..."

_She's still doing this? Stars she's stupid, she needs to quit this act of caring about me. She just me, how could she? And as far as she's concerned, I'm a monster. I've had it._ "Man, you're dumb. I don't feel like explaining anything to a girl as stupid as you."

This seemed to get to her, as she stopped talking and looked down. I even heard her whimper. I almost felt a little bad, but I caught myself. _She had it coming._

But she looked up at me and I actually did feel a little bad. She looked hurt, and her eyes were a little shiny. But she didn't cry like I thought she would. I thought she'd actual get mad, but she only said, "Why? Why are you being so mean?"

_Humph...I'm not mean, everyone's mean! I'm just more upfront about it! And right now, she deserves it! She's getting annoying as hell, asking me these questions. She's like Kamek! Well, fine!_ I grew angry and said, "Because I..." I realized mid-sentence what I was angry about, and what I was angry at. I was angry at everything I realized, not this girl. "Because...I wanted Peach..." I caught myself. That sounded so puny! "Not you!" I added, angrily.

This seemed to confuse her a bit. _Why would it?_ "What? Why? Didn't you kidnap me?"

I stared at her, shocked. "What!? No! I didn't, some rookie on the Koopa Kidnapper Squad did or something. Didn't anyone tell you that?" _How does she not know that!?_

"No one did...I guess I just assumed. So...does that mean...you're not in support of me being here?"

I paused for a second. I was about to lash out at her, but something stopped me. So I settled on snorting and huffing, "I wanted Peach."

She seemed to think for a bit before speaking nervously and carefully. "Well...for one reason or another, I'm here. And for that I'm sorry. But...I'm here now!"

"So what?"

She sat there for a bit, before audibly gulping.

I wondered why, when I saw her stand up and move towards me. _What's she doing?_

She walked up next to me and just stood there, while I sat, confused. Right when I was about to say something, she jerked out her hand and started speaking.

"I...I'll be your friend!" My eyes widened in shock and confusion. _Wh...what did she just say to me?_ I didn't take her hand, obviously. I just sat there and stared at her."I um...I'll be nice to you! And make you happy! Um...promise!"

I sat there, still eyeing her with shock and curiosity. "Huh," was all I could say, before looking away. _No girl's ever done that...actually, no one ever has. Who's that forward just about being a friend? Do I want to be her friend? ...Wait, what? No! No, of course not! She doesn't actually care, she's just-_

I side glanced at her and saw that her face looked crestfallen at my lack of a reaction, and I saw her drop hand. _No!_ Without thinking, I grabbed her hand in mine. My eyes widened at my own action and I looked away, forcing nonchalance. "Whatever," I forced myself to say.

_Ugh, why did I do that!? I don't know why, I just sort of...did it. Now she's going to-_ I sneaked a peak at her face. She was smiling, and she looked genuinely happy. I knew in that moment that she wasn't faking it, that she really did mean what she said. She thought we were actually friends now. And somewhere in me I realized that I was actually happy about that.

I felt her hands. They were fragile, but not as much as I'd thought they'd be. They also had calluses, a strange mix for her dainty hands. _How'd she get those?_

I let go of her hand and looked up at her. She was smiling, looking very pleased to gain me as a friend. I kept up my nonchalance, not wanting her to read in to my action. _I mean, it's not like we're really friends, are we?_ _She just asked, but it doesn't work like that? I shouldn't be happy...I mean, I shouldn't get happy! I'm not happy now! Or...oh screw it, I need to get out of here. I'm tired._

I noticed we had finished our plates anyway. I cleared my throat and stood. "Well...looks like we've finished all the food."

"Oh um...yeah, I guess so."

"Well, we can pretty much leave. The waiter will come out eventually and see we left and clean the mess."

"But um...I don't know my way back to my room..."

I waved my hand in dismissal. "I'm sure whoever escorted you would come back to wait for you. He's probably waiting outside now. If not, just wait for him. Or ask a guard passing by to take you to Peach's room if he takes to long." This wasn't the smartest idea, to leave her alone. It also probably wasn't the nicest. But I doubted she'd be able to escape, and I was sure what I said was right anyway. _I'm just so damn tired of dealing with this, I need sleep._

"Oh, okay."

I was about to turn to leave when she asked, "Just curious...why'd you laugh more when I laughed?"

I actually chuckled a bit, remembering her ridiculous laugh. But realizing my slip up, I quickly regained my nonchalance. "You have a really loud laugh."

"Oh...right, I get that..."

I nodded simply. I waited for her to say something else for a few seconds, which she didn't. So I began to walk away, eager to end the day.

"See ya."

I was half hoping she'd respond, half hoping she wouldn't.

"Oh, um...bye Bowser! ...Um...thanks for being my friend!"

I had to turn around and look at her for that. _So...she did mean it._

I almost began to analyze her, taking in how she looked. _She was an odd girl, with an odd appearance and in an odd dress. And she wanted to be my friend. Do I?_

"...Yeah," I said to her in reply, maybe a little to myself.

Not wanting to remain in the room any longer. Once I was outside I sighed. I leaned against the door and thought. _Well...that was...interesting._

* * *

**Well, wasn't that dramatic/cute? Yay, they're friends...kind of...no one really knows! Good for Fawn, you and your simplistic social skills to make friends fast. You don't know what's going on, do you? Or care ^^' well, hope you all enjoyed their first encounter. Review, Favorite, Follow, whatever! There's so many options! You could even do nothing, even though I wouldn't prefer that!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey, I'm back. Lol here's a smaller chapter, it's sort of a continuation of the last chapter, showing their after thoughts. Since it's smaller, I'm going to give a quick summary on the events and what Fawn is like. Fawn's an absent minded girl, with obvious social anxiety. She comes from a village in the forest that thrives on hunting and gathering. Maybe she's good at one of those, who knows yet. She's got long straight black hair that occasionally gets in her eyes, with a light tan, she's 5'8 and has bright hazel eyes, almost amber colored. Peach saw potential in her as a human, cuz she had a theory that she may be important cuz she's a human. So she took her to the castle along with her father figure. Then Jimmy, a lovely perverted dumbass OC, comes and kidnaps her by accident. So Kamek sees potential in her too, not only seeing her in the same way Peach did(to a lesser extent) but also as a love interest for Bowser. Fawn is under the impression that this was all staged by Peach as a sort of game to 'be her for a day' and (rightfully) assumed that means getting kidnapped. She kinda did this to relax herself, but no one has explained anything to her. But she's having fun, so she don't care. **

**On another note, thank you RebelliousElite99! The review was great, as I love getting them, and I said to review, favorite, and/or follow. You did all three, so you get bonus points or something! Lol and you have no idea how much of a relief it is to be told Fawn isn't an OC. I hate those, and I wanted to make Fawn different from the generic mob of OCs. So thanks! Whew, longest A/N! Bowser?**

**Bowser: Yeah, yeah...this author doesn't own anything but Fawn, and Cult...and Robin...and Jimmy...and Tina. The hell is with all these OCs!? They're muddying up the fic and taking attention from me!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Dinner for two part 2

**Fawn**

I hadn't needed to wait much longer outside the door before Jimmy arrived. He looked excited, but nervous too.

"Hey Fawn," he greeted.

I nodded and replied, "Hi...um..." I blanked on his name for a second. "...Jimmy. Thanks for picking me up."

He chuckled nervously. "Yeah, uh, no problem. These halls are pretty weird, so it's easy to get lost. Come on, I'll take you back to your room."

I nodded and we started walking. I was beginning to drift off, thinking of the night, when he coincidentally asked me, "So uh...how'd the dinner with Bowser go?"

I paused to think about my answer, as it was rather...eventful.

_Bowser looks really cool, and strong, like he's from a dream, or a storybook. He started out hating me...and I found out that it was because he wanted Peach, not me. He also hurt my feelings. But I also made him laugh, and then I asked him if he could be my friend, and he said yes. So it was..._

"It was nice," I said, smiling faintly.

The answer seemed to surprise him. "Really?"

I nodded and smiled a little more. "Yes. We're friends now."

His eyes widened. "Friends!? Really?" he asked, incredulously.

I nodded. _I suppose it's natural for him to be surprised, he didn't like me at first._ "Yes, we had some trouble at first. But I asked him if he wanted to be friends, and I think he said yes."

Surprise remained on his face for a little longer, before he sighed in what I think was relief. "Oh...I'm glad. I'm...really glad you guys managed to get along. Bowser has trouble with new people sometimes."

I nodded. "Yes, I could tell..." I realized how distant I was becoming. I couldn't focus on really anything now. I noted it was because I was tired.

I heard a clicking noise. "Well...here's your room."

I looked up and noticed that we had reached the pink door. He held the door open for me.

I nodded slowly and took hold of the door. "Okay...thanks..."

"No...thank you, Fawn."

Confused by his statement, I turned to him. But he was already walking away.

"Night," he called backwards to me.

"Oh...night!" I called back.

I turned away from him and walked in to my new room. Even in my dulled state, the pink aesthetics of the room and the bright overhead light shocked me. _This room really is to bright for my tastes..._

Shaking my head, I turned the lights off and groped around until I found my bed. I began to take off my clothes to sleep in my undergarments, but realized taking off the dress was as hard as putting it on. I fumbled and struggled and kicked around, in an attempt to free myself. _Geez, it's like a trap! How does Peach go anywhere with this thing on!?_ One way or another, I had struggled out of my clothes and on to the bed. I drew the covers over me and began to sleep.

Or so I would've preferred. But the events of the day still had me buzzing with thought. I thought of how it started as a normal day, and how I then met Peach and left my village for the first time, then became friends with Peach, then got kidnapped, then made friends with Bowser, Tina, and I think Jimmy. It was a ludicrous day, truly, and it was keeping me up as I just thought of it, even though I was tired. But most of all, I was excited.

Today's events had me excited, from all that had happened, and all that was to come. _What will being friends with Bowser be like? What'll happen tomorrow? I forgot to ask about what's happening...I'll ask tomorrow, today was to eventful to remember something like that. ...Will I find my purpose soon, if I have one?_

I couldn't sleep with all these thoughts and feelings. This was a common occurrence, and this type of insomnia did happen to me every now and then. So I dealt with it the way I could.

I sang little songs to myself. Songs that were made up in the village, and songs that I had heard on the public radio or TV at the pub. Sometimes, I felt things that I wanted to get out, but couldn't. So I sang, and I found that it helped.

So I sang songs quietly in the dark until it tired me and I fell to sleep.

* * *

**Bowser**

I walked through the halls toward my room with jumbled thoughts going through my mind. _What was with that girl? She was so weird...she was practically gawking at me the whole time. But she wasn't afraid of me...she asked me to be her friend. In a really weird way, yeah, but she still did. And now that I think about it...she never looked that scared of me. She just looked nervous. Maybe she was faking! ...Oh who am I kidding? I know she wasn't faking. I just know. So she wasn't afraid of me...then she's almost like Peach... I shook my head. No, she's nothing like her! But...maybe she is different than the others._

I sighed to myself. _She thinks I'm her friend. Am I? I don't know...I don't know if I want that. I need to be careful, I still don't know what she's really like. She could be...argh, screw it! Why am I still thinking about it when I could be getting some rest?_

I forced myself to stop thinking and began to walk faster. My room came in to sight. I was about to finally escape from it all when I heard a voice stop me.

"Hello, milord!" Kamek called to me. I turned my head to see him rushing down the hall to meet me. I groaned inwardly.

He stood next to me, huffing from the run. He really is getting old. "So...how was the date?"

I growled. I really didn't want to talk about this anymore. I stomped in to my room, completely ignoring Kamek, and slammed the door. Once I was inside, I was thinking about finally just plopping on my bed, and ending these stressful day. But something stopped me, and I knew what it was. I groaned softly and opened the door, just a crack. I had caught Kamek right before he left, and he turned at the sound of the door opening.

"It was okay..." I said, quietly. Saying no more, I shut the door.

* * *

**Oh Bowser...sucks to suck. I don't know how I ended up with so many OCs, I just did XD lol oh well it's not like I'm making any of them besides Fawn and Cult kinda developed, so it doesn't seem that bad I guess. Well, review, favorite, follow, yadada.**

**Oh, PS, if you're gonna review, why not guess what super awesome cartoon I was referencing with that last scene with Bowser and Kamek? Hint: Replace Bowser's words 'It was okay...' with 'It was nice...' to get the actual dialogue ;) well, see ya later**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, so this is a long chapter. In it shows the trio at Mushroom kingdoms' reaction to Fawn's disappearance. It starts when they left her alone to get a 'gift'. You'll find out about that if you didn't already. And a new group of characters that've been dying to get introduced finally appear ;) MORE OCS YAYYY! Jk, jk XD**

**On a side note, thanks TrollingForever for your kind reviews! First one to review more then once, and they were kind, thank you for the compliment :)**

**Cult: Well, guess what? aLilBoredKid8 doesn't own anything except for my gorgeous mug, my daughter, and...I'm bored, look up the other OCs in the other chapters if you wanna sue aLiBoredKid8.**

* * *

Chapter 8: Afterward

**Peach**

I walked with Cult and Mario outside the room. We all stood outside the door. We all knew what the problem was, even though we hadn't specifically said it. This situation was very awkward.

"It's not that big a deal, you know," Cult finally said, annoyed. "Seriously, people outside my village are such assholes to women."

"I know..." I said, almost feeling guilty on behalf of society. I spoke my words carefully. "But it's the way it is. No other races have their females...um...show that, so we can't either. It's just to...different, for everyone else to accept, and then it seems...well, wrong to not cover ourselves like everyone else just naturally does. Please understand."

Cult sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Everyone's nice at our village, but I guess that can't be said about everyone else." He turned to Mario and glared at him. "Don't ever stare at her like that again. You get one time, cuz it might be a little shocking at first. But don't let me catch you staring again."

Mario blushed deeply and grew nervous. "Right-a. Sorry!"

I felt a little bad for Mario. I knew he didn't mean to stare, he'd never do that to me. It just caught him by surprise. But, I couldn't blame Cult for being a protective father, especially in this situation.

Cult nodded and turned to me. "Well, we gonna get her that bra or what?"

I nodded. "Yeah...I'll get her one of mine. I guess uh...tell me if you think it'll fit."

He nodded and I somewhat awkwardly said, "Well...I'll show you to my room."

I began to walk and Mario and Cult followed me, and we all walked to my room. After a little walking we made it to a pale pink door.

"Well, here's my room," I said, all of us stopping in front of it. I opened it.

My floor and walls had the same color scheme as the castle, with a pink, king sized bed, a white dresser, a walk in closet, a white nightstand, and two pink plush chairs.

I walked over to my dresser as Cult and Mario stood around awkwardly, not sure what to do.

"Make yourselves comfortable," I said without looking, beginning to go through my drawer.

I heard them walk over to the chairs and sit down. I continued to search through my clothing until I found what I was looking for.

I turned around, holding one of my old bras, and walked next to the sitting Cult. "So...do you think this would work?"

He examined it before frowning. "Nope. Sorry, that one's to small."

I frowned and went back to the dresser, putting the bra back in its place, and searching for another.

"So..." I called back, curious of something. "I guess they don't make these in your village."

"Nope," Cult replied. "There was obviously never any need to until she hit puberty, so no one really needed to know how to make one." He chuckled and said, "There was a point where I tried to get her to wrap them up, but even I'll admit that was cruel, she didn't need it. No one ever commented."

I nodded in understanding. Koopas had their shells, Shy Guys had their robes, and Toadette's just weren't big enough, so bras were only invented for...well, pretty much me and Daisy.

I got one of my new ones and brought it to him. "Okay, this has to work."

He examined it before shrugging. "Yeah, should be fine."

I smiled and said, "Okay good. Now, let's get back to Fawn. It was rude of us to leave her."

Cult chuckled and said, "Yeah, but I think we all agreed we should do this without her. Seems a little awkward. Besides, she probably hadn't noticed we're gone. That girl can really space out."

Mario and I chuckled as well. "So we've noticed."

And so the two stood up, and we were on our way.

As we walked back, Cult turned to Mario and said, "Um...sorry. I know it wasn't your fault, but I-"

Mario shook his head and said, "I-a understand."

Cult grinned and said, "Thanks." He then turned to me and said, "And thank you Princess, for letting us stay here."

I waved my hand and said, "Oh, it's no problem. We're friends now!"

Cult smiled and looked away. "Yeah...thanks for that too, I think Fawn's happy about that."

I smile as we reached the door, bra in hand. "Fawn, we've got the..."

I trailed off when I noticed Fawn wasn't in the room.

"Fawn?" I called out.

Cult started pacing around, looking for her. "Fawn? Fawny?" He called, looking around the small room for her. "Where are you?"

He bent to check under the sofas, and came back up with a slightly worried expression on her face.

"Oh damn...she tends to wander sometimes."

I frowned before saying, "I'm sure she hasn't gotten far. We can find her, I'll have the Toads look too," as reassuringly as possible.

He shook his head. "No, we need to find her ourselves. Remember, we can't let anyone find out about her."

I nodded. "Oh, right."

"Well-a don't worry! We-a can find-a her!" Mario piped in.

Cult nodded. "Right. Come on, we gotta hurry!"

At his confirmation, we all rushed out of the room to search for Fawn.

* * *

**Mario**

Finding the poor girl was not as easy as we thought it'd be. We searched all over the castle, and then we eventually expanded and started searching through the city. Eventually, people asked us what we were looking for, and we decided we needed help finding her. So we decided that, although we were trying not to push Fawn in to stardom, we told the people that we were looking for her. The only information we disclosed was that she was a human girl and needed to be found. That was all they needed to know to look for her.

In a short period of time, one person who was told to search by Peach, told another person about Fawn, who would then tell another person, until the entire city was out searching for Fawn. It had been hours since she we lost her, and she still hadn't been found, despite the hustling of the townsfolk to find her.

_That poor girl...she's probably lost somewhere remote, scared. This is awful, it won't do! We need to rescue her!_

I was searching in a random district when a Toad approached me. "Mario! Mario!" he called, running.

I turned to him. "What-a is it?"

He stopped and panted at my side, and asked in a panicked fashion, "Peach is okay, right!?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes-a. Why?"

"I think I might know where Fawn is!"

My eyes widened. "Really!?"

He nodded. "Yeah! I tried telling you a lot earlier, actually, but none of the guards would let me talk to you. And when I found out you were searching outside the castle, it took me forever to find you!"

"Well-a where is she!?"

His face lost some enthusiasm. "Well...at around two or three, I saw a Clown Copter in the sky that no one else seemed to notice. I thought Peach was kidnapped again, but maybe..."

My eyes widened. "Bowser got-a her!"

_How did I not think of it sooner!? Bowser, and his evil ways, he always finds a way to ruin everything good! I don't know how he found out about her, but he did. The fiend kidnapped that poor girl! There's no time to lose, I have to hurry!_

I thanked him quickly before dashing off to find Peach and Cult.

"Go get 'em Mario!" The Toad called after me.

I ran through the streets of Toad Town, looking everywhere for Peach and Cult, so that I could tell them what happened. Thankfully, I found them together, near the castle.

"Cult-a! Peach-a!" I called.

They turned around and saw my determined expression, drawing hope from it.

"Did you find her?" Cult asked quickly, almost desperately.

I shook my head and said, "No. But-a I know-a where she is-a."

His and Peach's face grew hopeful. "Where!?" they both asked.

My face grew grim. "Bowser's castle."

Upon my words, their faces grew grim too. Cult's especially.

"What...how? How!?" Cult asked, very worried.

"Mario, how could this be?" Peach asked worriedly.

"A Toad told-a me. He-a said that-a he saw a Clown-a Copter in the sky at two or-a so. That's-a when we lost her! Bowser must've got her!"

"What...that...that bastard! I'll kill him!" Cult said, furiously.

"But how could Bowser know about Fawn?" Peach asked, trying to be rational.

I shook my head and said, "I-a don't-a know, who-a ever knows with-a Bowser? He's evil-a, he finds a way-a to screw everything up-a!"

"Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's go over there and rip his head off!" Cult yelled. He was very angry, understandably.

"Now hold on," Peach reasoned, placing her hands on both our shoulders. "Now, we don't know anything. It will just waste more time if we go over there and it turns out to be false information. Maybe the Toad was mistaken. Maybe it's a coincidence. We need to wait and see."

"Well what do you say we do then!?" Cult asked, still driven.

"I say we contact Darklands first, see what they can tell us. We might as well."

I rubbed my mustache in thought. That did seem more practical than just charging in, although it's less flashy. _My Peach, always keeping a level head._

"I agree-a with you," I confirmed.

Cult stared at us, still with an angry look on his face, before huffing. "I guess."

I nodded before exclaiming, "Quickly! Let's-a go!"

We all began to run to the castle. We burst through the doors and Peach led the way. We followed her through the halls of the castle until we came upon a metallic door that was painted white. She pushed it open, and we walked in to a lab with several computers lying around, and a giant screen on the wall.

There were only two Toads in the room. They turned to us, and one of them said, "Princess! Mario! What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you all be searching for that human girl?"

_So even they know, despite being shut up in here._ "We found new information on her. Patch us to Darklands," Peach answered coolly.

This shocked them as the other Toad said, "What? Why would you-"

"I'll explain later, just do it please," Peach responded, quickly.

The two Toads looked at each other before shrugging and doing as told. They both ran to their computers and started pressing buttons.

One of them said, "Request for live chat sent."

"What does that mean!?" Cult asked.

"It means we sent the request to speak with them. They'll come up on the big screen," Peach replied calmly, pointing to the big screen. "For now we wait."

Cult grunted, not to happy about waiting. I wasn't either.

We waited, staring at the screen, and eventually it flickered to life.

* * *

**Kamek**

I sat in my office, trying my best to finish all the paperwork I was given. Of course, just when it looked like I was about to finish, a servant came in and dropped another pile of papers on my desk. Apparently the meeting Bower had with the Firelands didn't go well, so the head governor is filing a petition. Which means mountains of paperwork.

I sighed tiredly and continued to work. I thought it couldn't get worse, until the new nanny I hired for the Koopalings ran in.

"I'm done!" she screeched.

I looked up from my work, tiredly glancing at her. "Done with what...?"

"This job! I'm done, I quit, I can't take it!"

I continued to absently stare at her, before my eyes widened with realization.

"Oh, please no, just keep working for a little longer!" I pleaded.

She shook her head violently and said. "No. No! Just no, I can't with those kids..."

"Aren't you supposed to be an expert nanny!?" I said, trying to bait her in.

It didn't work. "I work with kids. Those...those aren't kids," she said vehemently. "They're monsters."

"Please ma'am, we'll raise your pay, and-"

"No!" she said stubbornly. "I refuse! I will not work with those things! They don't listen, they whine, they attack me, and they destroy everything! I can't do it. I quit, and that's final!"

"Ma'am-"

"Good day!" she said crisply before walking out of my office and slamming the door.

I groaned. Ugh...damn. _She only lasted, what, a day? This is bad...none of the Koopalings are going anywhere, for at least a few days. And it takes forever to find a nanny for them, they're infamous! No one will take the job, and I don't have that kind of time! And I can't leave them alone, they'll wreak utter havoc upon the castle! What do I do?_ I sighed. _Why can't I get some good news?_

At this thought, that Jimmy boy came bustling in. "Kamek, sir!"

I sighed. "What is it Jimmy?" I grew worried and asked, "Did something grow wrong with the girl? The date's still on, right?"

He nodded. "Yes sir, everything's still fine with that."

"Then why are you here?"

He nervously said, "Well...the Mushroom Kingdom has requested a live chat meeting, sir."

My eyes widened. "Damn!" I swore, knowing what this meant. "You got yourself spotted on top of it all, didn't you!?"

He shook his head rapidly. "N-no sir! I was stealthy as can be! I don't know how they could've found out..."

I sighed and paused to think. "Maybe they're calling about something else..." he said hopefully.

"Don't be dumb!" I hissed. "Why else would they call!? They know we have her!"

He silenced and I considered my options.

_Damn...I can't just ignore them, because them they'll definitely know. They may not have any concrete proof, and are just going off a hunch...a good hunch, albeit. Bowser is rather infamous for this kind of thing. So I'll have to talk to them and try to play it cool._

I sighed. _Is this girl worth it? I'm almost positive Bowser won't take any sort of interest in her, and we're not even sure if she's got any real information._

"Has she revealed any information to you?" I asked.

Jimmy shook his head. "Not much...all I know is that her name is Fawn, and Tina found out she came from some village called Forest Village."

I frowned. _Fawn, huh? Interesting name, but it doesn't mean anything, I don't think. I've never heard of that village, either. Although Bowser may find important information while they're eating, she really may not be helpful to us at all, from the looks of it..._

I sighed and decided I'd decide as I went. "Okay, I'm going. You're dismissed," I said, standing.

He nodded and scuttled out. I dusted myself off and proceeded to make my way to the communications room in the castle.

As I was walking through the halls, though, I saw Bowser walking slowly in to his room. _Bowser! Maybe he knows something about her! Or maybe even likes her!_ I rushed to him and asked, "Bowser! How was your date?"

But he ignored my question and growled, pushing past me and entering his room, slamming the door.

I sighed. _Well, he didn't like her, or find out anything...maybe I really should just give her up._

With that in mind now, I continued my way to the conference. But I heard the sound of his door creak open. I turned to see him peeking out through the crack.

"It was okay..." he said softly, before shutting the door.

I stared at the door for a bit longer, before my face grew a smile. I knew Bowser, and that reaction was the best I could've possibly asked for. I could tell just from that that he liked her, at least somewhat, but didn't want to admit it.

_Well...looks like I am keeping her._

I continued my way to the communications room, determined to hold on to the one girl besides Peach in years that Bowser hasn't shut out upright.

* * *

**Cult**

I glared at the blank screen, just waiting for the face to pop up whose ass I've gotta kick.

_Argh...how dare they take Fawn!? My little girl! I'll freaking kill them! Even though anger was washing over me, guilt was too. Damn...why'd I leave her for such a stupid reason!? All by herself! She didn't need a damn bra, it's still the same here as back home! I'll just kick anyone's ass who tries anything! And I'm about to do the same to this little bastard, Bowser!_

The screen flickered on after what felt like forever, and an old Magikoopa sat in a chair in front of the screen.

"Good day Peach. Why have you requested a live chat meeting?" he said smoothly.

_I don't want to talk to that lying old coot, I want to see Bowser!_ "Where's Bowser!?" I asked angrily.

He turned to look at me on his screen, seemingly surprised. "Well, I don't believe we've met. Anyway, Bowser is busy at the moment, so I, his chief advisor, am here to speak on his behalf."

_The slippery little devil's to much of a wuss to even show his face! Now I'll really kill him!_ I was about to speak, but I felt a hand clamp on to my shoulder. It was Mario, who shook his head and gestured toward Peach. She, unlike me, looked calm, even now.

"This is a new friend of mine, Cult," she said in a deadpan tone. "But that is beside the point." I understood what Mario was telling me. I was to angry, and should leave this to Peach. It angered me, but I knew he was right, so I shut up.

"What would that be?" _That innocent tone is fake, damn it._

"I believe you may've done something you shouldn't have."

"Like?"

"Like kidnap someone. We made a new friend, but she's gone missing. You wouldn't happen to know where she is, would you?"

"I'm afraid not Princess. It's rude to assume," he said, feigning insult in a mocking tone.

She also feigned a sarcastic sympathetic tone. "I'm so sorry, I don't know why I would be suspicious of you. But...are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"I could describe her if you like."

"...If you want."

"Well, she's got long black hair, has a very light tan, bright hazel eyes...she comes from a place called Forest Village, would you happen to have seen anyone of any race that fits that criteria?"

"I'm sorry princess, but we don't have this girl-"

"She's also a human…" Peach added. _Why is she disclosing that!?_

Kamek at least looked surprised. "Wow, a human!? That's interesting…we probably would've kidnapped her if I'd seen her! But alas, we do not have Fawn. But I will keep an eye out."

We all stopped and glared at Kamek, all of us catching his slip up.

Peach narrowed her eyes and said, "I never mentioned her name...that's it though."

Kamek seemed to stare at us confused, before shock and realization crossed his face.

"Um...uh..." he stammered. I'm the corner of my eye, I saw his hand move. The screen suddenly went black.

"Get back here you old coot so I can kill you!" I screamed at the blank screen. My anger only increased once it was confirmed that he did have her.

"Cult, settle down!" Peach said, kindly but sternly.

I was walking toward the door. "No! I will not! The first thing that happens to my daughter when she walks outside is her kidnapping! I won't calm down until I've got Fawn back, and a boot up Bowser's ass!"

I continued to walk until Mario blocked my path. "I-a can't let you do that-a."

"Move, plumber!" I said angrily.

"No. You're-a not thinking clearly-a. Knowing Bowser, he-a already has-a his troops and-a traps guarding the way-a to his castle. It's-a night now, it's-a to dangerous to go-a unprepared. Especially in-a the dark-a."

I sort of growled at him. "Well, what am I supposed to do!?"

"You wait," Peach interjected. "I told you already you can sleep here. We'll get our sleep, and leave at dawn to make our way to Fawn."

I frowned, not liking the idea of leaving my daughter with some monster king overnight. Peach noticed this, and said, "Don't worry, even when he kidnapped Mario, he didn't treat him to badly. I can guarantee he won't do anything to hurt her.

I groaned, knowing that they were right if that was true. _They know all of Bowser's tricks...I obviously don't. It'd be dumb to go unprepared, at night, without them. But Fawn...argh, damn it! I don't want to, but I have to wait. Otherwise I can't do anything._

"Argh...fine!" I exclaimed.

Peach put a hand on my shoulder and said, "Thank you, Cult. I know how hard this is, and I'm sorry this happened. I know how much trouble this world is..."

I shook my head. "No, it's not your fault. Fawn was having a good time, she wanted to leave the village. We just needed to rescue her, so she can continue to feel like that...thanks for being rational. You worked that geezer real well!"

Peach smiled and shrugged. "Well…I figured if I gave him enough information, he'd slip up. It was risky, but it worked. We got taught how to do that in politics."

"Well, it was bad ass! Oh, and thanks for giving me a room for the night."

She smiled. "I'll have a maid show you to your room, okay? Follow me for now. Mario, I'll get you a room too."

Peach began to walk away, with Mario following. I was about to follow too, before I turned to glare at the still blank screen. Just wait for me Fawn...I'll save you, I promise.

* * *

**Ludwig**

"Come on you guys! Where do you think Larry went? Or Roy? Or Junior? Do you think they're having fun? Do you think they're on an adventure? It sounds fun, wanna go, you guys think I should go, and would you like to come with me, I'd like the com-"

"OMS shut up!" Wendy yelled, effectively censoring Morton's insufferable ranting. "You're totally distracting me from my beautification, I need to look good always!"

I had stopped with the inquiry of why she insists upon possessing such a vacuous vocabulary, despite the fact that it's insubstantiality vexes me to no end upon hearing it. It still seems preposterous to use such superficial words, going so far as to transfigure three words in to three letters.

"Why do you need to always use so much makeup? Do you find it fun? I don't see how you could find it fun. It seems really boring to me. Plus I think that you don't really need it. Is it because you're self-conscious? Do you think you're ugly because of-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Wendy screeched in that high voice.

It's always been such displeasure to hear her deprecate in her high pitched voice over her vapid affairs. I sympathized for Morton, as he has shown the merit of intelligence. He just suffers from the hindrance of excessive speech, preventing me from fully sympathizing, out of irritation that is similar to that of Wendy's towards him.

"Will you BOTH shut up!?" Iggy yelled. "I'm thinking..." He added, whispering.

"About what?" Morton asked. "A new invention? What is it like? What does it do?"

"Well, I was thinking about that, yeah. But maybe I should start a side project, and see if I can't find a way to see that mouth of yours shut!" Iggy said, cackling.

Iggy was always an interesting one, always rather queer since birth. His intelligence is only matched by mine, which has guaranteed him my respect. However, it has always discontented me that he has taken a rather different approach in cultivating his intelligence. While I have always been more interested in the fine arts, he is more interested in creating and inventing. I still have supported him through it, none the less, as I do respect his intelligence and aptitude in his field. Although his mad tendencies have always been a concern for all of us.

"Wow, you can do that!?" Lemmy exclaimed, joining the conversation upon a bouncy ball. "Well, knowing you, you'd find a way Iggy!"

He smiled and nodded. "Thank you Lemmy, I promise you'll be my second hand when I'm king." His statement surprised me, as I was the heir, but he was most likely subjected to another fantasy he was entertaining at the moment.

Lemmy was, bless his heart, not the brightest child. Perhaps it's simply his naïveté he's always possessed, never seeming to grow out of his child like curiosity and trust. But, as well as his child like wonder, he possesses a childlike contentment and philanthropy. This, in this family, can be rather refreshing. I'd go so far as to say he's misplaced here, not that he seems to mind.

We were congregated in this room today because our nanny had decided to relinquish her position as such, due to her inability to tolerate my siblings' passionate personalities. We were told to wait in this room until further notice by a guard, not that all of my siblings would subject to such a direction. Bowser Jr. and Roy left to wreak havoc most likely, something about them that I could never fully comprehend, while Larry took off to partake in his devious ways.

I couldn't blame the maid, of course. However, consistently being subjugated to having a nanny against my will has always irked me, as I've never needed one, especially not then when I was seventeen.

Kamek walked briskly in the room, appearing to be cross. "You brats drove out ANOTHER one!?"

"It's not our faults they aren't cool!" Morton rationalized. "They never are! The nanny are always dumb and boring and usually it's Roy's fault, or Junior's, or-"

"Shut up, Morton!" Kamek interrupted irately. "I don't care if it was your fault or not, or if the nanny's are interesting, I care about getting you all to behave!"

I spoke my grievances in reply. "I do believe you haven't considered my age and nature, and would advise you to consider against belittling me in such ways by having me monitored by a nanny."

He turned to me now. "Well, you like to practice your music when you're alone. We've tried to get you to stop that, or at least play a little softer, but you don't listen, and everyone gets distracted because of it. So don't you count yourself out of this, because you're a disruption too! Just like all your siblings!"

I sighed. _Why must this castle be congested so with such classless oafs?_

He looked around and must've had realized three of our siblings were absent. He rubbed his temples. "Where's Roy, Junior, and Larry?"

"Like, who cares? Probs just bugging some guards or something," Wendy answered, not looking away from her mirror as she applied her makeup.

Kamek groaned. "Of course they are...okay, you five. Go to your rooms, and stay there. Now."

Wendy shut her mirror and stored her makeup kit in her purse. "Whatevs, I gotta catch my show." She giggled and said, "I like, totally can't wait to hear how Tomas react to Rachel's little 'declaration'." With that, she retired to her dorm.

Iggy nodded, and said, "Oh, I was so tired of dealing with you people. I need to get back to my lab! You all are trying to steal my ideas, and I can't have that! It's copyrighted!" With his sudden fit of paranoia he suffers from sporadically, he dashed out of the room.

Morton, however, was not as pliable as the others. "What!? No fair! I wanted to stay down here and talk to every-"

"You'll get your chance to tomorrow with the new nanny," Kamek said exasperatedly. "Until then, shut it." That statement surprised._ My, that was much prompter then I anticipated._

Lemmy grew excited. "A new nanny? Wow, super cool! What's the new nanny like?"

Kamek, instead of responding immediately, froze for a moment before saying, "Uh...you'll find out tomorrow." _Ah, he must be fibbing in order to not stir my siblings with the prospect of being free of the restrictions of a nanny tomorrow._

"Well then...I'd better find the others. Go to your rooms, now!" Kamek ordered before hurrying out.

Morton turned to Lemmy and I, excited. "Wow you guys, a new nanny! What do you think the new one will be like?"

"Yeah! I bet we'll have lots of fun together, though!" Lemmy said cheerily.

I inwardly sighed. _How have they not come to the epiphany that they always react in such a manner to each new nanny, only for each one to not meet their expectations? I will never know...but it's not a necessary topic of thought. More importantly, I would like to get to my room to compose. I am rather exasperated from this tomfoolery._

I shook my head and said, "I'm sure the new nanny shall be everything you please," to them both, before making my way to my room._ I sincerely doubt Kamek will truly have a new nanny tomorrow._

* * *

**Go SAT vocab! Useful for getting in to colleges and writing good fanfics. Well, did you like it? Tell me what you think, review, favorite, follow. PS really grateful for the reviews so far. I think this story is doing well so far! Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So, here we have sort of more expositiony stuff. Cult and Mario start their journey, and from the looks of it, Fawn's gonna meet a certain group of kids pretty soon...lol XD**

**On another note, I broke my daily update spree! Oh no. Lol in my defense I was getting my wisdom teeth yanked out. Yesterday was not fun XD But something that made me feel a lot better was all the reviews I got! That made me happy :) lol so I'm gonna address those.**

**Thanks for reviewing again, TrollingForever! Lol I'm glad I got Ludwig, and Morton never learns.**

**Thanks Angela, your reviews are kind! And funny enough, I had considered doing a BxD, but decided that although it made sense, there were less BowserxOC stories out there, so I went for that. Lol but I may do it one day.**

**Coooool123 thanks for your reviews! Yeah, 1st person can be annoying, especially when repeating scenes. I'm gonna try and avoid doing that, unless it's an important scene. But it's fun too, so yeah! Oh, and ps, wouldn't it be nice if we all had Fawn's lack of social skills? 'Will you be my friend?' 'Sure!' Unfortunately, Bowser's just confused af XD**

**Well, on with the chapter**

* * *

Chapter 9: New adventures

**Cult**

I had woken up in the room that was supplied to me by some servant. I had just gotten dressed in my old clothes, when I heard a knock at the door.

I opened it and saw some cute little Toadette standing there with some sack in her hands. She blushed when she saw me and started speaking. "Oh...um, here are some clean clothes..." she said, handing me the sack.

I raised a brow. "Huh. I didn't ask for this."

"Well...Peach said that I should get you some, since yours were probably dirty…"

I grinned. "That was nice of her."

She nodded. "She also said for you to come downstairs to the meeting room when you change. She said you can keep them, actually, as no Toads here are really as...um...big as you."

I smiled crookedly. "Well, that's awful nice. But I guess I can understand that, not many Toads like me running around in these parts, are they?"

She shook her head, looking embarrassed. "Oh, no...Cult right?"

I nodded. "Yep. You?"

"Oh uh...everyone calls me Toadette, since it's my last name...and what I am..."

My smile grew more crooked as I decided to have some fun with this cutie, since she seemed pretty shy. "Well, Toadette, wanna stick around while I change in to these clothes?"

It worked, and she flushed. "Wh-what!? I-I uh-"

I winked, and that was actually all it took to fluster her further.

"Ah! U-um...I have to go do maid stuff! See you!" She quickly dashed away, and I laughed heartily.

_The Toadettes here are all so shy, and unused to a non sissy Toad...I can get used to that. _I changed in to my new clothes and tried to remember my way to the meeting room.

I was much calmer then I was yesterday, getting a good night sleep to calm myself. I heard that Bowser never harms his prisoners, so that helped me relax. And so I decided to ease in to my old self again, as worrying won't do much for me. But, my unyielding determination to save Fawn was still unmistakably there. _Just hang on a little longer, Fawn. Daddy's coming._

I finally came to the meeting room, and saw Mario, Peach, and some other guy I didn't know. _Wait...is that Luigi?_

"Good morning, Cult," Peach greeted, smiling.

"Morning," I greeted back.

"Cult-a! How-a was you're-a morning?" Mario greeted, with some sort of shrewd undertone.

I looked at him, confused, before laughing in realization. "Oh, did that Toadette girl talk to you guys?"

Mario and Peach chuckled, and Peach said, "Oh yes, you had her quite worked up. You're quite popular among the Toadettes here!" She winked.

I chuckled and said, "Yeah, well, guess they just weren't used to seeing a _real_ Toad."

I stopped to look at the green guy. "Are you Luigi?"

He jumped, and backed away. "Ah...yes, that's-a me," he said timidly.

_Well, just in case the friggin accent isn't a dead giveaway._ "Nice to meet you, I'm Cult." I walked up to him and held out my hand. He waited a little before he gingerly took it, and I squeezed his hand. I think I saw him wince a little. _Heh, oops._ "So, what're you doing here?"

"He's-a here to join us in-a our quest-a," Mario interjected. "Since-a Bowser's kidnapped someone-a new, I-a don't know if he'll-a try something new-a. So, I-a thought that it'd be wise-a to bring Luigi along-a. He's a good-a fighter, and could help us-a."

Luigi nodded quickly. "Yes, I'd-a try to do my part-a..."

_Ah, yes! Cuz that accent is never gonna get old, so you might as well add two in to the mix!_ Despite myself, I shrugged and said, "The more the merrier."

"Alright, I've packed you all some food," Peach said, pulling out three parcels. _That'll maybe good for...a day. _"Are you three all prepared now?"

I scratched my chin before remembering something important. I face-palmed and said, "Oh wait! I forgot a weapon!"

Mario looked at me oddly before shrugging and nodding. "Sure-a, if you like-a. You-a know where-a to find one?"

I nodded and looked outside. I saw a Toad guard stationed by the castle entrance with a spear in hand. _Bingo._

"Be right back," I said to them, before walking to the guard.

I walked up to the smaller Toad and waved. "Hey there."

He turned to me and smiled. "Hey! Are you the Toad from that forest?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Cool!"

I put a hand on his shoulder and grinned, getting right to the point. "So, buddy...how much do you need that spear?"

He frowned, looking confused. "What?"

"You heard me. How much do you need it?"

He considered this. "Well...a good amount, I guess..."

"Why?"

He frowned before saying, "I guess to look like a guard..."

I continued to grin crookedly, with my hand still on his shoulder. "Gee, sounds important. But I think I need it more."

"How come?"

"Well, I mean, I'm going on a quest. So there's a good chance I'll use it how it's supposed to be used and kill something with it."

His eyes turned in to saucepans as he stared up at me. "Wh...what?"

My grin grew evil. "Yeah...you know that Bowser guy? Yeah, he took my daughter. And where I come from, we don't take to kindly to that." I reached a hand up and tapped the tip of the spear. "I'm actually pretty pissed. See this point here? I'm really itching to plant it right in between his eyes...mind making that easier for me?"

He actually began shaking a little as he looked at the hand still on his shoulder. "H-here! Take it!" He relented, dropping the spear.

I caught it, and removed my hand from his shoulder, patting his cap. "Thanks, kid. Hell, I'll bring back the head as a souvenir, just for my little weapons dealer. Okay?"

He trembled in place, terrified of me, before running away without a word.

I laughed heartily. _Man, these Toads are fun to screw with. I probably won't be that harsh...probably_. I tested the spear a bit. I wasn't to satisfied. _Hm...it's not very well built. Guess wussy Toads get wussy weapons. I shrugged. Oh well, you take what you can get._

I walked back to the meeting room, where the others were waiting for me.

"Alright, I'm ready," I said to them.

Peach smiled and said, "Okay! Well..." She stopped and frowned at the spear. "Isn't that a Toadstool guard spear?"

I grinned. "That it is. A guard was kind enough to loan it to me, considering the situation."

She shrugged as Mario clapped. "Well-a, are we all ready?"

"Yes-a..." Luigi said weakly.

"Yep!" I said determinedly.

"Alright! Then let's-a go!" Mario shouted, pumping a fist in the air.

I shouted to, pumped for this. _Just wait for me Fawn._

With that, we set out on our quest.

* * *

**Bowser**

I sat at the breakfast table with all my children. The two person dinner table I used last night was swapped out in favor of the larger, stone table that was used for my family and me.

It was seated for twelve, with nine seats taken up. I sat at the head, and my children sat on either side of me. Bowser Jr., my youngest, sat on my left hand side. After him the seating went from youngest to oldest, with Larry sitting next to him, then Morton, then Wendy. Next to me on my right was Ludwig, my oldest. From him it the seating was arranged oldest to youngest, with Lemmy sitting next to him, then Roy, then Iggy.

It was rare that everyone in the family gathered together. Most of them went away to school to live, Bowser Jr. being the only exception, as I decided he was to young. But, as with most schools, their vacation schedule more or less worked the same. They were on vacation, so they were living in the castle for a few days.

The room was in an uproar, as always when all of the Koopalings assembled. A collection of noises, with the sounds of plates clanging as their claws banged against them, the sounds of swallowing and snorting, the sounds of chatter, or the sounds of fighting over food or something, and the occasional clang of silverware from Ludwig and Wendy. They were the only two that insisted on using silverware, with Ludwig saying it was 'it was a necessary component of fine culture', and Wendy saying that eating with your hands is 'totes not posh'. Although they still ate pretty ferociously.

It was a spectacle to watch, too. They were reaching over the table to grab food, stealing from each other's plates, punching each other, laughing, burping, and other various things.

I took a look around me. Ludwig looked uninterested, maybe a little disgusted, with the whole table, and ate his food silently.

Lemmy was laughing and telling jokes to everyone, and anyone listening would laugh.

Roy was harassing a few of his siblings in to giving him food, and pushing any one out of the way who came between him and another pancake. _That kid can be worse than me. He seems to enjoy bullying even more than I ever did!_

Iggy stuck to himself, muttering things I couldn't make out, happy with his amount of food. _Sometimes I'm curious of what he's thinking, sometimes I'm scared to know._

Wendy was half eating, half applying makeup. I don't know how she learned to multitask so well, but she did.

Morton was talking up a storm, explaining why he deserved more food, making fun of people, talking about his favorite show, etcetera. I don't know, I wasn't even paying attention.

Larry was an interesting one. Despite being one of the weakest Koopalings, due to his age, he actually managed to get almost the most food out of them all. And no one even knew it. He managed to swipe food from the plates when no one was looking, and even other plates, stealthy enough so that no one noticed him do it. He then hid the food so that no one would get jealous and hid some of the food, smoothly acting as though he didn't have it. I noticed today he hid food underneath his multiple napkins.

Finally, there was Bowser Jr. Unlike the rest, he was completely out of the loop as far as age goes. His...conception was a bit...different then the rest. He was a lot like how I was as a kid. He was whining, and teasing, and being crude in general at the table, as usual. _Yep, he's a chip off the old block, just as mean as his old man. Only difference is...maybe he's a bit less bitter then me._

I looked around at my children.

"Hey, that hurts Roy! You stupid pinkie!"

"Shuddup, brat! Gimme yo pancake!"

"OMS, you guys are totes annoying, I can't focus!"

"Shut up Wendy, you shouldn't evem try to look good. You're nowhere near as pretty as me! I've won the Darklandian beauty contest in my day!"

"Wow, you did Iggy!? That's awesome!"

"No he didn't Lemmy! He's just saying stupid things like always! I swear, sometimes he just sticks to something and goes on and on and on and-Larry, did you just take my bacon?"

"Of course not, Morton. Now what were you saying about Iggy? It sounded interesting."

"You all are complete imbeciles."

I sighed at the conversations. _They really are little monsters..._ But despite myself, I grinned. _But they're my monsters._

* * *

**Kamek**

I was thinking panicked thoughts as I made my way over to meet Bowser in the throne room.

_Oh no...not only do I have to find a new nanny for the Koopalings, but I also have to convince Bowser to set up defenses against Mario to protect Fawn. Argh, I really must be getting old if I'm making such stupid mistakes like the one I made last night…I think he liked her, but probably not enough yet to do that...oh, this is shaping out to be a terrible day._

* * *

**Bowser**

I sat in the throne room, waiting patiently for Kamek, who had called me there after my breakfast. _Ugh...what's taking him so long? What does he even want with me? I swear, he's probably going to nag me about getting together with Fawn or something. I don't have time for that! I still have more paperwork to do, somehow, and I haven't worked on the designs for the Koopa Copter Mach 25 in days! I don't need to be nagged about Fawn...I shouldn't have said what I said to Kamek last night. He probably took it the wrong way. I mean, that night was okay, but-_

"Hello, milord," Kamek said, entering the throne room.

I snapped to attention. "Hey. What'd you want?"

He grew a little nervous, as he adjusted his spectacles. "Well...you see sir...about Fawn..."

I rolled my eyes. _Of course, I was right. I'm really not in the mood for this. What can I say to shut him up? ...Oh, I got it!_

"Kamek, since you all failed to kidnap Peach, I'll be capturing her myself soon," I interrupted in a deadpan tone. _Hah, this'll piss him off. Plus she is the one I wanted anyway!_

He stopped and looked at me. "Um...what sir?"

"You heard me. I'll be kidnapping Peach soon, once I finish some much needed work," I said simply.

I was expecting a lecture, or disapproval of some kind. But instead, his face broke in to a smile.

"I see...I see! So, should I start mobilizing troops ahead of time then?" he asked enthusiastically.

I raised a brow, not expecting that response. "Uh...yeah sure, it might make it easier to stop Mario if we set up our troops ahead of time..."

He nodded quickly and said, "I'll get right on it."

I found his approval odd, as he's never so willing, but I wasn't objecting. Although it did irritate me that it didn't irritate him.

_It sucks that I won't have the time to kidnap her for a while...but for some reason I don't feel as desperate about kidnapping her as I did yesterday. Weird...guess it's the workload._

"Well...okay. Anything else?" I asked him.

He cleared his throat. "Yes sir...you never really told me. How was your date last night?"

I rolled my eyes. Well, I wasn't really expecting to stop this conversation with that declaration, to be honest. I just wanted to piss him off, or at least remind him who I love.

"I found out nothing," I said simply.

"Oh, that's to bad. But did you like her?"

I groaned inwardly. "She was okay. She was just another person, nothing like Peach. Which is why I kidnap Peach."

He frowned. "Well, at least you don't hate her. Maybe you're opinion of her will change if you spend more time with her! I'll set up another-"

"Kamek, we both know I'm busy," I interrupted. "I'm not wasting any more time on a girl that I don't care about!"

"Well, maybe you would if you would just try!"

"I told you that-"

I heard a loud crash, accompanied by some pretty familiar voices.

"Oh my stars, what are you all doing!?"

"Roy, you idiot! I wanted to ride the painting down the stairs! It was my idea to turn the stairs in to a slip and slide!"

"To bad squirt! It was super fun, to."

"Why you..."

Another crash, and several screams. "Oh geez, where'd ya get dat!?"

"Iggy's lab, pinkie. I don't know how it works. Let's find out!"

As the crashes continued, I turned to Kamek slowly. "Kamek..." I said slowly and menacingly. "Why are the Koopalings running around the castle?"

He fidgeted nervously. "Well...their nanny quit, so-"

"Well now," I interrupted, seething. " instead of chatting with me about such stupid things, you should be TAKING CARE OF THAT!"

"Yes sir!" he said nervously, before dashing off.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

_Well that was a waste of time._

Sighing to myself, I left as well to do paperwork.

* * *

**Fawn**

I woke up in my room, light pouring in through the window and the glass door in the balcony.

_Knock knock..._

I blinked my eyes, trying to collect my thoughts.

_Pink..._

I looked around me. Everything was still pink. _My stars, this is getting ridiculous. I need a new room, or a different color scheme. I can hardly think with these colors popping out at me._

I heard a knock at my door again. _Someone's at the door... _I got up after a few seconds to answer it. I had almost opened it when I realized I was only in a pair of panties. _Well...that was close._ Looking around for something to dress myself in, I settled upon simply wrapping my blanket around me for now. Donned in a blanket, I opened the door.

Jimmy was standing there. He looked at my attire curiously. "Uh...what's with the blanket?"

I shrugged, still tired. "Well…I wasn't wearing anything except for panties…" I realized this may not have been acceptable for some reason. "Uh…this okay…?"

He blushed before nodding. "For now I guess...are you um..."

"Am I what?"

"...You know, still just in your panties?"

I looked at him curiously and tired. "Well, yes...is that a problem?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, no it's not!"

_He seems embarrassed...is this not okay? Or is it still bad like Tina said? Do I have to wear clothes under my clothes now? That'd be ridiculous._

"May I come in?" he asked quickly. "I brought you some breakfast."

I looked at his hands, and indeed, he had brought me a plate off eggs and bacon.

"Oh...why thank you," I replied. "And yes, you may come in."

He nodded before handing me the plate and shuffling in.

He sat down on the bed and I sat down next to him.

"Sorry that I forgot to bring you any silverware..."

I wasn't paying attention; I had already begun to eat the food with my hands.

"Oh, never mind then," he said, chuckling.

I shrugged and continued to eat. After a little bit he cleared his throat. I looked at him to see him blushing. He seemed to be staring at something. "So...are you going to change, or...?"

I swallowed a piece of bacon. "Um...I don't know. Do I have something to change in to?"

He nodded. "Check the closet, I think you could wear some of Peach's clothes."

"Oh...well okay, thanks," I said, not pleased with that idea._ I hope she has something besides dresses..._ I went to the closet and began to look through it. I saw several dresses hung up, but I did see one set of pink sports clothes. _Oh, that could work... _I picked them up. It was a short sleeve T-Shirt with an oval design on it, and a pair of pink short shorts. Although since they were Peach's, they more or less looked like regular shorts on me. I picked them out, more or less content. I looked down and saw a pile of undergarments. I grabbed the panties, but frowned at the bras.

"Uh...sorry, but I'm not sure. Do I have to wear a bra?" I called back.

The reply was a little late. "What? ...Um, yeah. Yes, you have to wear a bra..."

I sighed and picked it up. I was about to put the stuff on when I realized that Jimmy was still in here. So I said, "Um...oh, Jimmy? I'm going to change in the bathroom, is that okay?"

"Yes, that's fine."

I clutched my blanket and walked in to the bathroom. I shut the door and sighed_. I wish I didn't have to wear this, I didn't have to before...oh well, this place is worth it._ I dropped my blanket and all my clothes to the floor. I placed the bra on my chest and waited. It took me a second to realize Tina wasn't here and I didn't know how to put it on.

"Oh shoot," I whispered. After some fumbling around, I managed to figure out how it works. It's a simple clasp on the back.

After that, I dressed myself and walked in to my room. Jimmy was still seated there.

"So, uh..." I started. "What do I do now?"

He sighed. "To be honest...I'm not sure. Ever since I brought you here, we haven't been sure what to do with you really..."

I caught his statement. "Oh, so you brought me here?"

He cringed. He probably didn't mean to say that. He turned to me slowly before sighing. "Um...yes. Yes, I kidnapped you."

I decided that now was an optimal time to test my theory. "So, Bowser didn't want me here, yes?"

He shook his head nervously. "No."

"So that means you opted for me to be here, right?"

"Um...yeah, I suppose..."

_So he's why I'm here…_ I walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you."

He looked surprised by this. "What? Why?"

I myself was confused by his statement. "What do you mean why? This place is very fun!"

He looked at me quizzically. "It is?"

I nodded, wondering why he didn't think it would be. "Of course! I got to take a nice bath, and sleep well in a new place, and make friends like you, Bowser, and Tina." I caught my mistake. "O-oh...um...I'm sorry. I'm not sure if we're friends..."

"Well...I wouldn't mind being friends with you."

His response made me ecstatic. _That makes four friends total! And they're all really interesting and new! I don't think I had that many back home. This is going to be fun!_ I giggled, albeit a little shyly. I stuck my hand out. "Okay. Now we're friends!"

He looked at me almost hesitantly. I thought he was going to change his mind, but he grabbed my hand and shook it. "Yeah."

I smiled and let go. "So...what now?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. "I still don't know. Guess we should go ask Kamek."

"Who's Kamek?"

He looked at me weirdly before chuckling. "Oh yeah, you haven't actually met him yet. He's Bowser's main advisor, and a Magikoopa, and-"

"A Magikoopa!?" I asked excitedly.

He looked at me oddly at my outburst. "Um...yeah. He's a Magikoopa."

My mind buzzed with excitement at the prospect at actually meeting a Magikoopa. I had always wanted to, as I had always fantasizes about what they could do._ I wonder if he can levitate, or fly, or shoot fire balls, or create geometric figures in the air! That'd be a weird power, but it'd still be cool!_

"Well I get to meet him?" I asked enthusiastically.

He blinked. "Yeah, we need to ask him what to do with you."

I slipped on the sandals I had come here in and said, "Well I'm ready when you are. Uh, not that we need to rush or anything."

He blinked before getting up and saying, "Okay, let's go."

* * *

**Jimmy**

"Oh, so you brought me here?" Fawn asked.

I cringed. _Oh damn! I'm so dumb! What do I do? Oh...well, it wasn't like there wasn't any getting out of this. I've got to tell her the truth._ "Um...yes. Yes, I kidnapped you..."

"So, Bowser didn't want me here, yes?" she asked, much less enraged then I thought.

_Weird question._ "No."

"So does that mean you opted for me to be here?"

_Another weird question. How do I respond? Well, I guess I'm glad she's here now..._ "Uh...yeah, I guess so..."

"Thank you," she said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

_Wait...she's not mad? She's...thanking me?_ "What? Why?"

"What do you mean why? This place is fun!"

"It is?" _Is this girl for real?_

"Of course! I got to take a nice bath, and sleep well in a new place, and make friends like you, Bowser, and Tina...O-oh...um...I'm sorry. I'm not sure if we're friends..."

I was so dumbfounded by her response that I just sort of answered her. "Well...I wouldn't mind being friends with you."

She giggled and put out her hand. "Okay. Now we're friends!"

I stared at her hand, wondering what to do. I realized that she may've thought that all this was on purpose. She may not have realized that this was all a mistake on my part. I was about to tell her the truth, but something stopped me. I ended up just shaking her hand and saying, "Yeah."

_Well...why do I have to spoil her happiness? She's so happy and cute...I shouldn't ruin her excitement. She's been locked in a village all her life, so this must be incredible. Besides, now she won't know how much of a complete screw up I am...oh, what's the harm in keeping my mouth shut?_

* * *

**Fawn**

We walked through the halls, on our way to Kamek's office to ask him what I was to do today, when we heard a loud yell come out of the room we were just passing.

"...TAKING CARE OF THAT!" I heard someone yell, startling me. _That was...Bowser, wasn't it?_

"Huh...that came from the throne room," Jimmy said, pointing to the door we were in front of. He chuckled and added, "Looks like we should get going, Bowser seems pissed."

Before I could make up my mind, I heard a muffled voice say, "Yes sir!" and a weird old Koopa in a robe and glasses came scuttling out of the room. _Is that a Magikoopa!?_

"Oh, Kamek!" Jimmy said cheerily, addressing the now confirmed Magikoopa. "Just the guy I wanted to see."

"Oh stars, what is it now!?" he snapped.

Jimmy shrunk back, as did I, afraid of this man's temper. "Uh, nothing! I just wanted to know what we do with Fawn.

Kamek groaned. "I don't care! I'm very, very busy!"

_I wonder what he's so busy with..._ As if on cue, my question was answered by a loud crash and voices.

"Take that, pinkie!"

"Junior, what are you doing!? That's my invention, the Omega Ray Gun Mark 7, and it's power is immeasurable! It must only be used in dire situations, such as Mario, zombie apocalypses, the invasion of the Metroid race, or Mario!"

"Iggy, I have no idea what you're going on about, and I don't care. I just know I need to use it to teach Roy a lesson!"

"Yo crazy Junior!"

"I'll show you crazy!"

"No don't touch that!"

Another loud crash rang through the air.

"Oh my stars!" Kamek said, exasperated. "What are they doing!? I'm busy enough as it is, I don't have time to discipline them!"

Jimmy sighed. "The Koopalings out of a nanny again?"

_The Koopalings?_

Kamek nodded grimly. "I don't know what to do with them! If they're not on constant supervision they destroy everything!"

_The Koopalings...Bowser's offspring, if I can recall hearing so. I've always wondered what they look like...I've heard of Bowser a good deal, but never the Koopalings...what would they look like? Miniature Bowsers?_

"Well, you haven't found a new one?"

_They sound cool, really. I mean, Bowser was incredible, but what would younger ones look like?_

"No, and I'm busy with a lot of other thing anyway! I have no time, and no one else wants to deal with the Koopalings or the search for a nanny! I'm ruined!"

_I bet they're really neat...I'd like to meet them._

"What did you say?"

I blinked and looked at Kamek. He asked me the question.

_Oh for stars sake, what's wrong with me and my thinking out loud!?_

"I-I'm sorry!" I quickly covered nervously, embarrassed about my aloud thinking. "I-I know that I wouldn't be able to...it was only customary for me to meet Bowser...b-but there's no reason for you to let me meet the heirs, the Koopalings...I'm so sorry!"

Kamek didn't react how I thought he would, though.

Instead of getting angry, or kicking me out, he squinted his eyes in thought. "You...want to meet them?" he asked skeptically.

I considered lying and denying that, but I decided telling the truth was the best call. "I...yes, if you'd be nice enough to let me..."

Kamek continued to stare at me with a thoughtful face, before asking, "Would you like to babysit the Koopalings for the day?"

My eyes widened. _Babysit...them? I'll get to meet them!? I'm not doing anything else, from the looks of it...that sounds great! I'll get to see what a Koopaling looks like...and from the looks of it, it'll help them! I want to help them, I'm indebted to them for letting me stay here. Okay don't blow this._

"Y-yes!" I squeaked. "Yes, I'd enjoy that! ...If you would let me, that is...I'd like to help you however I can...to um, thank you for bringing me here...thanks, by the way, for letting me stay here...Mr. Kamek."

He continued to stare. "What do you..." he trailed off and sighed."Oh, I don't have time for that now. I'm to busy." He smiled. "Thank you, the act is appreciated."

He turned to Jimmy. "Jimmy, take Fawn to the playroom. I'll get the Koopalings down there in a little."

For some reason, Jimmy didn't seem to happy. "Um sir...isn't this a little..."

"Jimmy..." Kamek said testily. "We have no choice. It's just for one day."

He sighed. "Got it."

I knit my brows in thought, watching their dialogue. _Wonder what that was about..._

"Come on Fawn, let's go," Jimmy said, gesturing in a direction. I got out of my daydream and turned to look at Kamek. In his place was a cloud of geometric figures.

"Wow...he does control shapes! And teleports! Wow!" I said enthusiastically.

Jimmy chuckled. "Yep, he's pretty good at that stuff. But he usually doesn't teleport since it wastes energy. Guess he really is in a hurry...so are we. Come on."

I turned to him and nodded. "Right, sorry."

As we walked, I fantasized about what the Koopalings would be like. _Maybe some of them have Bowser's traits...maybe some have their mother'a traits. Speaking of, where is the mother? I've never-_

"Here we are. The playroom." I looked up and saw a large stone door.

"Ok...thanks Jimmy," I said, before grabbing the door handle.

"Uh...wait," Jimmy interrupted.

I turned to him. "What is it?"

"Just...be careful around them," he said carefully.

"Oh...okay," I said, shrugging.

He nodded. "Well, I'm going to go. See you." He started walking off.

"Bye Jimmy!" I called. Turning back to the room, I opened the door and walked in.

The lights flickered on, and I observed the room. It was a very odd room, to say the least. The half that I entered was very modern. There were three large, black sofas surrounding a large plasma TV, which had a lot of weird stuff beneath it, and the floors and walls were a very dark red. However, although it was still spacious, this was only half of the room. The other half was separated by a wall of beads. The other half resembled a child's playroom. It had colorful jigsaw puzzle floors and a sky wall that had a few paintings that looked like they were drawn by a child. The room contained a treasure chest, and a miniature playground, complete with a small slide, a jungle jim, and a clubhouse. I was awed by the room.

Wow...this room is amazing! I suppose it's fit for the heirs...

Not knowing what to do, I opted to sit down in one of the sofas, and simply daydreamed about the Koopalings until they arrived.

* * *

**Well, there's another one! Lol so basically Fawn is now convinced that her kidnapping was predetermined. She didn't bother asking if Peach was against it too, cuz she's assuming that she's a part of it all. Plus, I mean, if we were in that situation, how many people would believe it was such a stupid mistake? XD of course, she's having to much fun to really think about it...oh well XD well, wait for the next chapter! Hope you enjoyed! Read, review, follow, favorite! Byeee**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys! This chapter the Koopalings meet Fawn. So that should be fun!**

**Addressing reviews: **

**Coooool123 oh ok thanks :) also thanks for the tip, I don't do that enough. Sometimes I'm like 'Ah, the accents fine' then later when the ch is out I'm like 'That sounds weird...' Lol good thing Mario's a side character XD oh and a Roy fan, huh? Well...I don't wanna spoil anything...but let's say Fawn's relationship with him is a lil more...complicated XD**

**TrollingForever: Well enjoy XD**

**Angela: Lol I love responding to ppl cuz it's fun when ppl are interested XD I read tomboy and I like it(wish it'd update :( lol) And I like BxP, but I do feel as though they're to different. I feel as though a good romance is two opposites with some common interests and traits to help relate.**

**Well, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Koopasitting Part 2

**Cult**

We walked through Toad Town, and kept walking through a grassy plain, until eventually we came across some weird obstacle course. Mario said that Bowser built it a while back to slow him down. Apparently he put it in the middle of the road so that there was no way around it. It seemed odd that we didn't just take a different path, but I didn't question the more experienced one. That didn't prove much of a threat though, as we passed it without to much trouble.

"That's odd-a..." Mario pondered as we walked. "There was-a no enemy's back-a there...something's off-a..."

I shrugged. "Well, another one of those weird course thingies are coming. Maybe there'll be enemies there."

"Ah, I see them-a!" Luigi yelled, pointing toward the course. Indeed, there were a few Goombas and Koopas blocking our path.

"Alright-a! Let's-a go!" Mario yelled before rushing in to the course. I saw him jump up way in the air and land on a Goomba. The Goomba seemed to be dazed by this and fell unconscious. _An odd way to handle it...but it seems effective. More importantly..._

"So, I can stab these ones, right?" I asked, brandishing my spear. Luigi turned to me, terrified, as Mario looked stunned.

"What-a!? No! We-a don't kill-a these things, we-a knock them out-a! We're-a not monsters!" Mario said, indignant.

I frowned in thought_. You're not supposed to? They're kidnapping people for Star's sake! Maybe the fact that you aren't killing them is why they keep coming back to kidnap Peach!_

But despite myself, I sighed and replied, "Okay, you're the expert."

A Goomba began charging me and I grinned. Taking my spear, I swung it at him and hit him with the side. He went flying like a baseball. "Well...hopefully that didn't kill him!"

"I'm-a sure it's-a fine," Mario replied. "Now let's-a go!" He rushed through the course, Luigi following him at a slower rate. I followed as well.

_Alright Fawn...I'm doing some weird stuff to rescue you. So just hang on!_

* * *

**Bowser Junior**

"You two are grounded! After this you're cleaning up everything you destroyed!" Kamek yelled, pointing at Roy and me.

"But Kameeek! That's not fair!" I explained._ Roy stole my idea, blasting him seemed like the fair trade off!_

"Yes it is!" He screeched. "You took the new ray gun that Iggy invented and nearly destroyed a whole hallway, and your brother!"

"But he was being mean, he took my idea!"

"You shouldn't have been doing that either! You're not supposed to turn the stairs in to a slip and slide and ride down them on a priceless painting!"

"It's just some old dead guy..." I muttered.

"He was one of our most valued governors!"

"Well what about Roy!? He's the one that did it!"

"I said both of you."

"Man, dats not fair! I ain't do nutin as bad as Junior. Da brat tried to kill me!" Roy said angrily.

"You were involved, so I don't care!"

"They should get worse then that! They tampered with my experiment; they should have their hands chopped off!" Iggy added.

"I wish that was an option..." Kamek said sadly.

"Oh yeah! Well um...I'll cut yours off first!" I retorted. Kamek rolled his eyes and looked forward. _Nailed it._

"So, who do you think the new nanny is? What's the person like Kamek? Is it a boy or girl? Fun or boring? Super-"

"Girl. Just wait," Kamek sighed.

"Oh boy, am I excited!" Lemmy exclaimed. _A new nanny does always seem fun, I guess. I mean, they always turn out lame though. They never want to play any fun games with me._

"So..." Wendy started, walking her dumb fashionista walk. "Kamek, there's some super cool gossip I wanted to ask you about."

"Shoot," Kamek said.

"Well, my friend who's a maid who's dating a guard heard from another guard that he heard you talking about a new human girl. That true?"

He grinned. "Yep. She's actually your nanny."

Everyone looked shocked, including me. After a few seconds, Wendy squealed annoyingly. "A new girl!? That's gonna be so totes fab! I'm gonna make her look so pretty, it'll be great! Finally, another girl!"

"Huh. Wonder if she's hot," Roy pondered.

"You are such a barbarian, is fornication all that occupies your mind?" Ludwig replied complicatedly, in a way that I think was an insult.

"Yo, was dat an insult!?"

"You wouldn't know, would you?"

"How can you both argue about something like this!? This is a new human! Do you have any idea how much of a valuable test subject she is!?" Iggy said creepily.

"I bet she is improtant! I bet she's also really fun!" Lemmy added cheerily.

"Yeah I bet so too! I bet she's really fun, and cool, and pretty! What do you think she'll look like? I bet she'll look totally different! With weird hair for a human girl, and-"

"Should be interesting..." Larry pondered.

I thought about it. "Hm...this'll be cool. But I'll bet she's nowhere as cool as mama!" I declared.

"Well, you'll all find out soon," Kamek said. The playroom was in sight. Most of rushed toward it, eager to see the human girl, who was also apparently our nanny.

* * *

**Fawn**

The door opened and I turned my head to see eight little Dragon Koopas. _They must be the Koopalings! _They instantly took my attention.

"I'll be back for you later!" I think I heard Kamek say before the door closed

I observed each one carefully. One was medium sized and had insane, blue hair, with a dark blue shell, and one tooth sticking out. Another was very small, the smallest, with a crazy rainbow mohawk, he had an orange shell, and he was balancing on a ball! Another was fairly large, my height, had two fangs, and was bald with a pink shell and sunglasses. Then there was one that was actually a bit taller than me, with crazy spectacles, green hair in the shape of a fountain, a green shell, and four fangs. There was a girl one, with a bow, bangles, heels, jewelry, and a pink shell. There was another fairly large one, with a grey shell, two fangs, a star mark, and a grey skin! I'd never seen one with grey skin! There was another with a light blue mohawk, two fangs, and a light blue shell, and a star mark as well. And then there was one that looked just like a miniature Bowser, with a bandana with scary teeth on it and a ponytail.

I suppose they were observing me too, as they were silent as well.

"You all...are so cool," I said dumbly. Ordinarily, knowing I said this would mortify me, but I don't think I even had time to realize that I'd spoken aloud as I got crowded by them.

"Hah! Finally a smart one who knows how cool I am!" the mini Bowser claimed, jumping up and down next to me.

"Oh...I uh..." I stammered. I realized at that moment that these were all strangers, and heirs. I grew incredibly nervous.

"OMS you're super pretty! Oh I have SO much to work with. Your skin is beau, this is gonna be totally fab! But ugh! What's with the fit? Sorry girl, but not everyone can pull off pink. We'll fix that!" the female exclaimed.

"Uh...th-tha-"

"Wow, you have really straight hair! I've never seen a human girl with hair like yours! And you're not pale like Peach! I'd actually say you're around the color of Koopa scales! That's super-"

I kept trying to answer him, but he wouldn't stop. So people spoke over him.

"Will you play games with me? We'll have fun!"

"How much do you weigh? Blood type? Date of birth?"

"Huh...guess she ain't dat bad lookin after all."

"Siblings, I believe you're suffocating her-"

I stumbled backwards and tripped. _There are eight...eight...I need to start caring. Take care of them…listen…they're all talking, what is that one saying? No that one. I mean...they hate...they'll get mad if I don't..._

I felt a claw pick me up by the hand. "Are you alright madame?" The voice belonged to the Koopa with crazy blue hair.

I stood up and blinked. "I...yes, yes..." I murmured. I blinked and forced myself to calm down and listen. I heard a few snickers, and I think the pink boy outright laughed. My eyes widened as I realized what I just did. _Oh no, I already blew it! They think I'm weird, they're going to hate me!_

I quickly tried to save myself as I was blushing. "O-oh stars, I'm so sorry! I just got a little...o-overwhelmed by all of you...p-please forgive me!" I bowed and said, "M-my name's Fawn..."

They all talked amongst themselves when I introduced myself, which scared me, and I began to think they were already thinking of getting rid of me. The blue haired Koopa, thankfully, spoke up as they all whispered.

"Well...it's a pleasure to make your salutation, Fawn," he said smoothly, seemingly trying to glide past the confusion I created. "My name is Ludwig."

_Salutation? Sa-lu-ta-tion...that's a fancy way of saying hi._ "Hello..." I whispered.

The others began to follow his league.

"Well I'm Morton!" the grey one spoke enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you Fawn! I'm sorry you fell. What made you fall? Oh, by the way, you're a super cool looking human!"

"And you're a super cool looking Koopa..."I murmured. I caught myself, and didn't even bother chastising myself, only blushing. Surprisingly, he did the same.

"Well, gosh! Thanks! You know, most people call my color weird. They say it's not cool. But I think it is, and I'm so glad I finally met someone that agrees!"

"U-um...yeah..."

"My name's Lemmy!" said the one on the ball. "Don't worry about falling by the way! Are you okay?"

I smiled, relieved at his forgiveness. "I'm fine...thank you."

I heard someone laugh and turned my head to see the pink male laughing. "Hah! Dat was funny as hell!"

I didn't know what to say to that. I probably would've found it funny, actually, but I was to nervous to think that. "Uh...I suppose..."

He sneered. "Dumb broad."

His words stung me, the sensitive subject being hit. _I...I'm not dumb! I..._

"Well, I dunno about that Roy!" the miniature Bowser said. "You said we're cool. Which means you know that I'm cool! So you're not to dumb."

I smiled with relief once more, feeling overjoyed that I was being defended. I observed the young Koopa. I found all the Koopalings cute, and cool, and both for a few. But I found this one especially cute.

"I'm Bowser Junior, by the way," he added, smirking with his hands on his hips. _That pose is...adorable! And his name! Bowser Junior...that makes perfect sense._

I began to murmur. "You're so cu-"

Thankfully I was interrupted by the girl Koopa. "You just ignore Junior. He's, like, a little weirdo," she said to me, sneering at Junior. Junior stuck his tongue out in reply, which she ignored and continued talking. "Oh, this is gonna be super fun!" She rushed up to me and grabbed my hands, which startled me a little. But I forced myself not to freak out. "We're gonna make you look, like, so pretty! Don't worry, we can fix you up, find your color." _What is it with these girls and saying I'm pretty but then saying I'm not pretty enough?_ "Don't worry, we can fix you up, find your color. We'll be like best gffs Fawn! PS, I love your name. Super posh!"

I tried to decipher her language in her last statement, but it was something I'd never heard before. I was going to ask her to speak English when someone else interrupted.

"No! I will not allow you to tamper with the test subject before I get to her!" the spectacled Koopa screeched. He shoved Wendy off of my hands, which I was a little grateful for, until he used both of his to inspect mine. "Hm..." he said, staring intently at my hands. "Skin is of darker pigmentation of a usual human, but not the darkest we've seen..." He pressed his claws in to my palms, and I grew increasingly uncomfortable. "Skin is not of consistency to other female humans. Majority of her skin is the same as other humans, also containing the females' general delicate nature, but she contains calluses, which has only been seen on Mario..." He finally let go of my hands and his eyes lit up. "You'll be such a fun test subject!"

_Test subject? What is he testing for? Is that a compliment though? He seems happy about it..._

"Th-thanks?" I said unsurely.

The small Koopa with the light blue mohawk gently moved the one holding me now, confirmed to be Iggy, away from me. I was expecting him to touch me in some way too, but he didn't, to my relief.

"Come on, give her some space Iggy," the boy said, gently moving him. "Don't want to stress her out. That could interfere with her...uh...brain, and stuff."

Iggy seemed to be happy with this answer and moved backwards. "Well, right you are! I'd better be more careful..."

The Koopa smiled at him, then to me. He stuck out his hand and said, "Hello, my name's Larry. It's good to meet you Fawn. That's a very pretty name, by the way."

I blushed a little and shook his hand. "Th-thank you, Larry..."

The silence between all of us lasted only a second before Wendy spoke to me. "Well, this is gonna be so fun! We'll like, get your nails done, and go shopping for clothes, and-"

The sound of a phone ringing stopped her. She reached in to her shell and pulled out a cellphone. _Wow...so she has one._

She pressed a button and put it to her ear. "Hello...Ruby, what's up girl...oh I'm just with this super cool new girl I met! Get this, she's a...wait, WHAT!?" I found her squeal quite annoying. "OMS I didn't even notice the time! Like, thanks Ruby!"

She hung up and turned to me. "So sorry, but my marathon's on. We'll do this another day! Ciao!" _She's running a marathon? Wow...she doesn't look like she has it in her. That's quite respectable! _She quickly plopped on to a sofa and turned the TV on. _...I don't think that's running a marathon._

Ludwig sighed and Roy groaned, saying, "Aw damn, I don wanna deal wid dat crap on!"

I was about to check what it was, as I still wasn't used to TV and was quite interested in it, when Junior tugged on my shorts. I looked down at him.

"Hey," he said. "You wanna play a game?"

_A game? Perfect, that's what I'm supposed to do._ "Sounds fun," I answered.

He grinned and said, "Cool! Come with me!" He jumped up and grabbed my fingers, and dragged me along as I followed, hunched over. This startled me, but I decided I shouldn't get to scared since he's just a little kid. _A cute one at that..._

"Hey, wait!" I heard Lemmy yell. "I want to play!"

Morton also joined in, yelling, "Yeah me too! I don't even like games, but if it means talking to Fawn, I'm in!"

Bowser Junior frowned, before muttering, "Fine."

We all walked to the other side of the room. I grew worried that the others would be offended. "Um...do you guys mind if I'm in the side of the room?" I called to the Koopalings in the opposite side of the room. I got no response, which I decided meant 'yes'. "Okay...just tell me if you need something!"

Only Ludwig answered me. "Thank you, ma'am."

I nodded before turning to the three that were with me. I looked over to the side and saw Iggy was here as well. I was a little startled.

"Oh! Iggy...are you playing with us?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm just going to...observe."

I shrugged. "Okay...if you like."

He nodded and sort of began to stare from the sidelines.

"So what game do we play?" Lemmy asked.

"I wanna play Battle!" Bowser Junior said enthusiastically.

Lemmy frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea Junior..."

"Yeah, she's a human girl! They're really fragile, and get hurt easy. Yep, not a good idea Junior," Morton agreed.

"I won't let you harm my test subject!" Iggy said.

Bowser Junior pouted. "Humph...figures, she's probably uncool like the rest of the nannies."

_Oh no, I'm failing! I have to fix this, quick!_ "I-I can play Battle!" I said quickly. His eyes lit up. "You can!?" I nodded and he jumped for joy.

Morton and Lemmy shrugged. "If you say so."

"Very well. Now I will be able to determine physical capabilities!" Iggy yelled.

"So...how do you play?" I asked.

Bowser Junior dug through the chest and threw out a few weapons. They were toys, but they still look like they hurt.

"You pick one and you have to try and hit people. If you get hit five times, you lose," Junior explained.

I nodded. _Seems simple…_ "Okay...I'll do my best!"

Morton picked out a stout club, Junior picked out a staff, and Lemmy got a sack of rocks. I noticed how perfectly he rolled on his ball. _I wonder how he's going to play on it? _I looked at my options and picked out the one I had experience with. A bow and a quiver filled with about ten arrows. The points of the arrows were plastic, but it'll still hurt if shot well.

"Okay...ready..." Junior counted.

_Okay...if I recall correctly, the Koopalings are skilled fighters._

"Set..."

_If I want to even compete, I must first find optimal cover. But most of all..._

"Go!"

_I've got to play smart._

At Juniors' command, everyone ran around the room. I didn't bother to pay attention to the violence and sprinted up the clubhouse, being the only optimal hiding place for my size and weapon. On my way up, I was hit by a rock.

"Sorry Fawn!" I heard a voice call.

I ignored the pain and climbed up the clubhouse. Once up I kicked the wood in front of the ladder a few times until it was splintered. I then ducked in the corner.

I looked down and saw that Morton had whacked Junior with a club. I thought he'd be hurt, but he got up and ran to the slide, and Morton followed. They sort of played a game of chicken, running around the slide, with Junior teasing Morton with his pole arm, eventually getting a hit. I noticed Lemmy had situated himself in the jungle jim and began to throw rocks at them through the holes, nailing them both once.

_Not a very clever tactic considering how early in the game we are..._

Indeed it wasn't, as Morton and Junior soon ganged up on him. Being seemingly weak, and also only containing a long range weapon as well, he only managed to get one hit on Junior before being eliminated by them both.

"Dang…I lost! Oh well!" Lemmy said as he limped away

Junior began to target Morton again. Morton, however, seemed like he was remembering me.

_Now!_

Wasting no more time, I began to shoot at the two. My weapon of choice as a hunter was always a bow and arrow, as it allowed more room for strategy. However, I wasn't the best shot in my village. I missed the first shot, causing them to scramble. Junior ducked under the slide as Morton ran up the stairs.

"I'm coming for you! Better get ready! Cuz I'm not holding back! Got it?" Morton said as he climbed the stairs. But I wasn't intimidated.

_That's right...just a little closer..._

Right when he was about to get to me, I went down the slide. When he reached the top, he fell down the wood that I had kicked in. My favorite weapon, if it was considered one, was always traps to catch my prey.

He fell underneath the clubhouse, looking dazed and confused.

"What…" He mumbled, obviously confused.

Junior looked equally confused. I took the opportunity to shoot them both. Junior, turning around, ran toward me. He was faster than I anticipated, and managed to hit me. I stumbled a bit when the tip jabbed my chest, but I stayed in place. Morton came behind Junior and whacked him, eliminating him.

"Ow! Dang it!" Junior whined when he realized that was his fifth hit.

Morton charged after me. I shot him before running, but he shrugged it off as it hit and he hit my hand.

_Crap...he's no idiot, plus he's much more athletic than I am...what can I do? Wait...I've got it! It's a long shot...but it might work!_

I slowed down and turned, allowing Morton to hit my blocking arms with his club. I tried to ignore the pain as I used the momentum to jump far backwards in to the jungle jim. He ran toward me and I drew back my last arrow. He stopped with his club raised, ready to jab me through the hole in the jungle jim, when he noticed my bow was trained on him. His eyes widened.

"...Draw?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah...draw."

We both put down our weapons. Iggy was clapping in the corner. "Bravo! You're a wonderful specimen, showing decent athletic performance and a keen intellect!"

Morton grabbed my hand and helped me out of the jungle jim. "You did really good! That was so awesome! That trap was super smart! And that last plan was crazy!"

Junior joined in too, running up to my legs and jumping up and down. "You're so strong!" he exclaimed. "I thought you'd be no fun, like the other maids! But you played Battle with me, even Mama Peach doesn't do that!"

"Oh...well thank you!" I said, glowing at the praise.

"Yeah, you're super strong," Lemmy added. "To draw with Morton is really good; he's the third strongest Koopaling!"

"Wow...thanks!" I said, happy to receive a compliment.

"Hey! Let's be friends!" Junior said enthusiastically, holding out his hand.

My eyes widened_. He...wants to be my friend. Only Peach has done that so far..._ I smiled and shook his hand. "I'd love to!"

Lemmy grabbed my other hand. "Hey, I want to be friends with you too!"

My eyes widened with joy. "Yes, I'd love to too!"

Morton came up and grabbed both of my hands, and his brothers' hands, in to his larger claws. "Hey, I want to be friends with you too! I have a lot we can talk about, and I bet you do too, being a human and all, and-"

"I'd love to!" I said, smiling. I was practically ecstatic. _So many new friends! I can't believe it! I...I love this place!_

I thought we were going to play another game, but Kamek walked in. He looked worried.

"So, how are you all doing?" he asked with a nervous smile. "Everyone getting along okay?"

I turned to him, as did the others. I was about to answer, but Junior did for me.

"We did! Fawn's awesome!" Junior said enthusiastically. I turned to him and smiled largely.

"Really?" Both Kamek and I asked at the same time.

Morton nodded. "Yep! She's super cool! She seemed really shy and weird at first, but then she turned out to be really cool and stuff! We played Battle and-"

"You played Battle!?" Kamek asked incredulously.

"Yeah, but she was really good at it!" Lemmy chimed. "She tied with Morton!"

Kamek's eyes widened as he turned to me. "You tied with Morton?"

"Um...yes..." I said nervously.

"She's quite a fighter!" Iggy exclaimed. "Using wits in a battle, how preferable! I think I know what I'd like to dissect first..."

"You're not dissecting anyone," Kamek replied. He turned to everyone else in the other half of the room. "So...how'd you all like Fawn?"

Neither Wendy nor Ludwig noticed him. Ludwig had his headphones, as I think they were called, on, and Wendy was watching TV. Both Kamek and I noticed the problem immediately.

"Where's Roy and Larry?" Kamek asked irately.

Wendy finally answered. "Sh, this is important! They snuck out while Fawn was doing whatever."

I knit my brows. "Why would they do that?" I pondered. "Weren't they supposed to stay in here?"

Kamek sighed. "They were supposed to. But they must've decided they didn't need to and ran off."

My eyes widened. _Oh stars...how had I not considered the idea that they could be misbehaved? In the end I didn't watch them! Oh, I'm such a fool! I did awful!_ "O-oh Mr. Kamek! I-I'm really sorry! Please don't be mad, I-I-"

He waved his hand in dismissal. "It's fine...I'm actually surprised you did this well!"

That relieved me a little. "Really?"

"Oh, yes! Most of the time, half of them would have run away by now. And then playroom would've been a wreck!"

He looked around the playroom. I noticed that there were toys on our side, with the slide and jungle jim being a bit beaten up. On the other sides were discarded bags of food and cans of soda. "Well...more of a wreck."

"I see...well, I'm happy to help! I had fun!" I said cheerily. "So...thank you."

He nodded slowly. "Well, thank you. You really saved me on this one."

I smiled with pride as Kamek said, "Alright, dinner time! Come on you guys." Bowser Junior whined a little. "But I wanna play a little longer!"

"You've played enough. Besides, I'd say Fawn is tired now."

I wasn't sure, but upon inspection, I did realize I was pretty sore.

"Oh...okay," he said sadly. He turned to me. "I'll see you later Fawn!"

"Yeah, bye Fawn!" Lemmy said.

"Bye Fawn! I'll make sure to see you again! We never got to talk at all, so I figured we should-"

"Maybe you won't see me...but I'll be seeing you," Iggy murmured._ I guess he really wants to observe me._

Wendy finally got up. "That was like, so sad..." she wailed. She turned to me and said, "Sorry we didn't get to hang...my show came on. Like, later though! Ciao!"

As all the other Koopalings were leaving, Ludwig opened his eyes. He seemed to immediately know what was happening, as he stood and said, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fawn."

"Likewise..." I said to him. I saw them all leaving and said, "Nice to meet you all!"

A few of them returned it before opening the door. As soon as they walked out, Tina walked in. I was very pleased to see her.

"Tina!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Fawn!" she ran up to me and hugged me. "It's so great to see you! How have you been?"

"Good!" I said happily.

"Great. Listen, I came by to ask you if you'd like a gift."

"A gift?" I asked.

"Yeah! Since I don't really get to much work as a tailor, why don't I make you some clothes since you don't really have any. For free!"

I smiled. "That sounds great! I've been dying to get some normal clothes, all the ones I have are so...weird for me."

"Great! Come with me, I'll take you to my office. I just need to get your measurements, maybe ask a few questions, and then I'll have an idea of what I want to make for you," she explained.

I nodded. "Sure, sounds fun!"

She smiled. "Great, then let's go!"

Together, we walked out of the room to Tina's office.

* * *

I walked back to my room after I'd gone to Tina's office. I wasn't there for long; she just measured my body with a ruler and asked me a few questions. She asked me kind of style I mainly wanted, I said comfortable. She asked what my favorite colors were, and I said brown, and that I also liked dark green. It was very nice talking to her, as she was a kind person, and my friend, so I never got nervous.

After that, she told me I should go back to my room and see if Jimmy was there. I actually remembered my way more or less, occasionally asking a guard to confirm it for me. Eventually while I was walking past a door, it suddenly flung open. The force of the door hitting me made me fall over. I looked up to see who had done it, and saw Bowser standing in front of me.

"Oh! Bowser!" I exclaimed, surprised. I hadn't seen him since last night, so I didn't know where we stood as far as being friends go. But I was pretty sure we were now. _I mean I asked and he said yes…hopefully he didn't change his mind already._

"Huh?" he said, not sure what he hit. He looked down and saw me, and his face looked mixed. "Oh. It's you."

"Yes," I said, standing up. I groaned a little, my body sore from the Battle. Morton packs a punch. He heard me groan and asked, "That from the game of Battle?"

"Oh...you heard about that?"

He nodded, seemingly analyzing me. "Yeah. Iggy, Junior, Lemmy, and Morton all wouldn't shut up about how awesome you were."

"Th-thank you..." I said, happy that they had talked good of me. "They were strong though..."

He nodded absently. "Yeah, they're pretty tough." He paused, looking like he was considering his words, before nonchalantly saying, "I guess you did pretty good to tie with Morton."

I smiled and said, "Th-thank you..."

"Anyway..." he said, still sounding careful."I'd say most of the Koopalings liked you. They were actually talking about having you come for breakfast tomorrow."

I smiled brightly as he quickly said, "You can come for _them_. Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay! I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow!"

He nodded. "Okay. See you."

He started walking off quickly.

"Oh um...bye!" I called. _That was rather fast...oh well, better get back to my room!_

After some searching, I found it. Inside, sitting on the nightstand, was a plate of food and a note. I picked up the note first.

**Dear Fawn,**

**I didn't know when you'd be coming back, so I just left food for you in your room.**

**From,**

**Jimmy**

I smiled and began to eat the food, which was some steak, mashed potatoes, and corn. It felt good to have something substantial for the night.

I noticed that I didn't want to go to sleep yet though. That's when I decided to work the TV. I knew how they work, more or less, as there was a public TV at the saloon in the village. But I had heard that different places had different channels.

I flicked through the channels, enjoying myself immensely with the wide variety of shows before eventually falling asleep, thinking about the Koopalings.

* * *

**Lol I decided to skip the scene with Tina and Fawn sorta. I mean, I figured no one really wanted to read 2 OCs chat about a dress, and I didn't wanna write it, so lol**

**Lemme talk about the Koopalings a bit. So what I love about them is that even though there so loved, there's a lot of room to make their personalities. Although they do have some guidelines, there's a lot of room to create a personality. Especially with Lemmy, Iggy, and Larry.**

**Lemmy is sometimes depicted as weird and creepy, sometimes as childlike. I went with the later, as I decided that Iggy was better for the insane and weirdness. I considered make him shy, like some ppl do, but I was like 'Fawn and Luigi are awkward enough...'**

**And Larry, by far, has the vaguest personality out of them all. Basically what's known: 'He cheats a lot'. So I decided to work with that and create a thief sort of archetype. A real charismatic charmer, but also intelligent and sly, still loving to steal and cheat.**

**Well, that wraps it up. Read, review, follow, favorite, which I've been getting more of! :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey. Lol so this time we get some more in depth time with Bowser, Junior, and Wendy. Enjoy!**

**And thanks again to my loyal reviewers Coooool123, Angela, and TrollingForever :)**

* * *

Chapter 11: Childish Hobbies

**Mario**

We continued through the lands, making fast progress. We had already passed through the first two lands, and were on our way up the second castle.

"Geez...how much money do you think Bowser spends on these castles?" Cult asked as we ascended up the castle.

"Huh...I'm-a not sure..." I pondered. "He uses the same-a castles now though."

"Don't you blow up his castles?"

I shrugged, remembering my old habit. "Eh, it-a stopped seeming necessary. Just-a seemed like a waste of time-a."

Cult frowned. "Well, not really. I mean-"

"Uh, you guys-a?" Luigi said, timidly. "I-a think we're at-a the boss-a..."

"Alright!" Cult said enthusiastically. "Let's clobber this guy!"

I nodded and Cult pushed the door open. The three of us rushed in to the room, and inside was some giant Koopa. He laughed and started spinning around the room.

"Incoming!" I yelled as Luigi and jumped away.

Cult, however, didn't have our jumping ability, and was forced to lunge and dodge until the Koopa grew dizzy. Once the Koopa stopped from his dizziness, Cult whacked him on the head with his spear.

"Hah, got the little bastard!" he yelled triumphantly, the Koopa stumbling backward before shaking himself off and starting his assault again.

I grinned. He was indeed a skilled warrior, helping me make progress through the lands even faster than Luigi does.

However, he had some sort of rebellious streak. On several occasions he's questioned the route we were taking, the strategy we were employing, and questioning the overall system.

_I don't understand why he's so against this. It's such a basic formula, and it always works! Why can't he just stick to the plan we've always stuck to..._

* * *

**Fawn**

_Knock knock..._

I drifted toward the realm of consciousness, vaguely albeit.

_Pink pink pink pink._

I looked around me. Pink. _I swear if I have to live in this room any longer I'm going to go crazy. It's to...stimulating! Ugh! _Once again stimulated immediately by my surroundings, I quickly brushed my teeth and showered. _I want out of this room, I can't take this. Although I guess I shouldn't ask…it'd be rude._

I heard a knock at the door. _Oh thank goodness, I can leave this place._

I rushed to my bed and wrapped myself in a blanket before answering the door. Jimmy was standing there, carrying a long bag. He looked away from me.

"You know, you can wait to dress yourself before answering the door..." he murmured.

I stared at him before remembering this attire made him uncomfortable. I pouted. "I just really hate this room...sorry."

He knit his brows. "You hate this room?"

I nodded, but felt guilty when I realized that I was being rude. I guess I'm not completely awake still. "Sorry...that sounded rude. But it's to...bright for me. I can't think, or relax."

He considered, looking around the room before nodding him. "No, I get it. It's to pink, to girly."

I nodded. "Yeah...hang on one second, I'll get changed."

I was about to close the door, but Jimmy stopped me.

"Wait! Tina, made you a dress," Jimmy said, holding up the bag. "She had already been working on something apparently, and all she had to do was make a few changes. She asked me to bring it to you."

I looked at the bag. "Oh...thank you!" I took the bag and closed the door.

Observing it for a little, I found a zipper. I unzipped the bag and a note fell out. I picked up the note and examined it.

**Hey Fawn,**

**I hope you like this dress! It's what I had almost ready, I just hadn't added any color to it yet, and tapered it to fit you. Don't worry, it's not one of those fancy dresses. I'll make you more soon. Enjoy!**

**Tina**

Smiling at the note, I pulled out the dress. It was a small, café colored dress that came down just below my knees. The dress was smooth and consistent in texture, with no sleeves and a normal collar.

I smiled at the dress. It was casual and comfortable feeling. I slipped it on, and I relished the feeling of it. _Wow Tina, you did a great job! Finally, normal clothes…_

I walked to the door and opened it to greet Jimmy. He was about to speak before he looked me up and down. "Huh...it's simple, but it looks good on you." He blushed. "Best I've ever seen you in my opinion...you look pretty."

I smiled, blushing at his praise. "Thank you Jimmy." I was about to ask what we were doing today, when I remembered.

"Oh, today I eat with Bowser and his family!" _Oh boy! I'm going to be eating with four friends! Maybe I'll make more..._

Jimmy nodded, smiling. "Yep. You've really got them all charmed...and you are pretty neat, I've got to say."

I blushed harder and said, "Th-thanks..."

He chuckled and said, "Yeah, win Bowser and his family over for my sake, will you?"

I stopped blushing and observed him, confused at his words. But in the end, I ignored it and shrugged. "Okay."

* * *

**Bowser**

I sat at the table, waiting for all the Koopalings...and Fawn to arrive. First was Morton and Lemmy, both energetic morning people. What surprised me was that Junior came early too, which he never did. I found it was to secure Fawn's chair ahead of time, which was stone and plush, unlike our pure stone ones. He made her sit next to him. Which meant she was sitting next to me. The idea made me a little uncomfortable, but I decided it was way to early to care. Later came Ludwig and Iggy, punctual as ever. Then the rest filed in, uncaring as ever. Just as the last one walked in, Fawn came hurrying in as well.

I eyed her attire, noticing it was the first time I'd seen her in clothes besides Peach's. It was odd, as though I was looking at her in a whole new light. She looked natural, more at ease. And it seemed like it was from more than just a dress. I'll admit, it was a more pleasurable change. It made this girl feel less like Peach's replacement, which was one of the things that had irritated me about this girl. The other being the idea that she's still just a liar.

Junior grew excited and jumped out of his seat to run to her. "Fawn!" he greeted energetically. "Look, I picked out your seat! Sit next to me and King Dad!"

"Oh, hello Junior!" she greeted happily. "Thank you, that was kind of you." I noted she wasn't quite as timid as she was before, at least with Junior. Junior began rushing back to the table with her in pursuit. After she fumbled around a bit unsurely, she realized where her seat was and sat.

"Hello, Bowser," she said to me. Her tone was a little more timid then the one she used to address Junior. But it still seemed happy.

"Morning," I replied.

As we all waited, a few of the Koopalings spoke.

"Hm...Fawn, I'm not sure if that dress is good..." Wendy said critically. "It's so...blah. Totes lame, sorry girlfriend."

"U-um...sorry..." Fawn replied to her, nervously. _Hm...so she's scared of Wendy still, huh?_

"But it's okay, we'll fix you up after this!"

"O-okay..."

"Well I think you look pretty!" Lemmy exclaimed.

She beamed at him, maybe blushing a little. "Thank you Lemmy." _So she's only scared of a few of them?_

"Yeah, you aight," Roy said plainly. "Give seven or eight outta ten." _My boy, rude as ever…_

"Um...thanks?" Fawn said unsurely. _Has she not heard of that rating system?_

"Must you be so crude?" Ludwig muttered. Roy started arguing with him as the servants brought out food.

We were all served a goblet of milk, three pancakes, three strips of bacon, and three eggs on our plate. But there were several plates of food stacked in the middle that's up for grabs when you finish. Everyone began tearing in immediately. As I was eating, I remembered Fawn's ferocious tendencies. I looked up to see everyone else gawking at Fawn, who was eating rapidly with her hands, shoving food and milk in to her mouth, with some of it dribbling out of her mouth.

Fawn finally realized everyone was staring at her. I expected her to become embarrassed or something, but instead she simply frowned.

"I don't get it, you all are worse." With that she continued eating. Junior laughed and hugged her shoulder from his seat.

"You're so awesome Fawn!"

She stopped eating and turned to Junior, blinking. "For eating? Well...thank you."

"OMS that was totes gross Faw-Faw! You're, like, not posh! Like EW!" Wendy exclaimed, looking disgusted.

"I was anticipating some more culture to be executed by you...what a shame," Ludwig said, disappointed.

The comments brought Fawn down. "Oh...sorry..."

Bowser Junior stuck his tongue out at the two siblings. "Hey, shut up! Fawn's awesome!"

Morton joined in. "Yeah! She's a super amazing badass for a human girl. She tied with me in Battle! And if she's eating like that it's okay because it shows that she-"

"She can eat how she wants to eat!" Lemmy joined.

Iggy was eying Fawn oddly, most likely analyzing her. "Yes...it's very helpful to learn about your eating habits too..."

Roy had nothing to say, busy snickering.

I felt the need to join in. I ended up protecting her. "Well, I think that not only is it funny as hell to watch her eat like that, it's also her right. She doesn't have to eat like a fancy ass like if she doesn't want to," I said loudly to get their attention. Everyone was silenced, before simple chatter started up.

"Thank you, Bowser," Fawn said to me, smiling.

I stared at her before turning away, slightly embarrassed by my actions. _Damn…I didn't think I was going to say all that. I thought I was just going to stop at 'it's funny as hell'._ "Whatever. Just the truth."

She smiled at me for a bit before starting to eat her food again.

"So...anyone got plans today?" I asked everyone, hoping to find out if they'd be around to destroy the castle.

"I'm meetin up wid my old crew," Roy said.

I nodded. _Oh thank stars, he's leaving, he's the worst._ "Have fun."

Ludwig also spoke. "The District Darkland Symphony has come here to practice with me for a future concert."

"And I'm going out in to town with a friend," Larry added. Chances are that meant he was going to rob someone or something.

"Well, have fun with that you all," I said to them all.

Once Fawn finished, Wendy had finished too. Once Wendy saw her plate, she said, "Ugh, how do you eat so much and not gain weight!? Like, unfair! I'm sure Peach would kill for that."

Fawn blinked and turned to her. She was still nervous. "Well...I'm just hungry because I haven't been eating much..."

Wendy shrugged. "Well whatever! We've got to start fixing you up like ASAP!"

Morton and Junior seemed to get annoyed at this.

"What!? I wanted to play!" Junior whined.

"Yeah! And I was going to talk to her about stuff! You know, ask her questions! Like where she-"

"Too bad, I called her!" she said, rushing to Fawn and grabbing her arm.

"Um..." she stuttered, scared.

"Bye Daddy!" she said sweetly before dragging Fawn out of her seat. I wasn't sure if I should object. I knew that Fawn was scared of Wendy, and I almost felt bad for her. But they left the room right when I was opening my mouth.

* * *

**Fawn**

Wendy was dragging me along across the halls, holding my hand with more strength then I thought she had.

"Okay, we need to get you makeup, and a better dress, and actual shoes, and maybe a waxing, and..."

I was terrified of whatever she was planning about. I had considered fighting back, but decided against it, as I didn't want to anger her.

Eventually we ran up some stairs and went up two flights, each one having a floor at the end of it that had two doors. Wendy stopped me on the third floor and dragged me through a door that revealed a pink hallway, which we paced down. I saw that it was decorated with flowers hanging on the walls, a few on little tables. The walls had a few heart designs and there were a few portraits of Wendy hung up. Some realistic, some exaggerating her curves and how pretty she looked. I noticed that there was some sort of award regarding fashion hung up. Eventually we came across a pink door, which had some emblem that looked like Wendy printed on it.

"Here we are! My room!" Wendy said excitedly before hurrying me in. Once pushed in I looked around. Inside was a four poster pink bed, and pictures on the walls of attractive boys, as well as attractive models. There were also three dressers, a plasma TV on the wall, a gigantic closet, a desk, and two plush pink chairs. She pushed me in to one of the pink chairs and said, "Wait here."

I sunk in to the seat, almost like I was trying to sink in to it. _She's so scary...this room is scary..._

She ran to one of her dressers and started throwing items on to the desk. I identified them as makeup.

"Okay!" she said, grabbing some sort of bottle. "Hold still, gonna apply some eyeliner." She walked toward me.

She pulled a tiny brush covered in black goop out of the bottle, and moved it toward my eye. I immediately flinched, and it jabbed me in the eye. "Ow!" I yelped.

She pouted. "That's cuz you, like, moved dummy." She sighed. "Fine, we'll start with foundation.

She went back to the desk and came back with some sort of tray. She opened it to reveal what looked like a painting tray. She grabbed the brush inside and dabbed it in a tan color...it kind of looked like my skin color.

"Okay, hold still," she said, dabbing the stuff on my face. I didn't like it, it felt gooey and sticky and weird. I sort of began to whimper.

She noticed this and stopped. "What's wrong? Aren't you having fun?"

I ended up being honest, not thinking about it. "No, not at all."

This seemed to hurt her. "What?"

I considered my words before again going with honesty. "I'm sorry…I just don't like it…"

She gawked at me before growing angry. "Why? Why don't you find this fun!?"

I could tell she was mad. I thought about lying, but I knew honesty would be best in situations like this. Plus I didn't want this to go on any longer. "I just don't. It feels weird, and I don't think I need to do it. I think it's…kind of...dumb...I'm really sorry-"

"Shut up," Wendy hissed coldly.

I grew scared at how mad she was getting. _Oh no, she's mad! Oh I really screwed up! She hates me, I'm going to get in trouble! _"Wh-what? I'm sorry, I-"

"I said SHUT UP!" she screeched horribly. "SHUT IT! STFU! I HATE you! I hate EVERYONE! Of course it's to hard to get someone else that likes this...plus I'd be doing you a FAVOR! You're UGLY! Stupid girl, get out!"

I trembled in place, fearing her and her voice. "Wh-what? You want me to-"

"I SAID LEAVE!"

Her voice was horrible to listen to, I couldn't take it. I quickly got up and hurried out the door, afraid of the harpy and her voice that was screeching about her hellish cosmetic.

I walked down the stairway I came from, feeling lost. _Oh...what do I do? I really screwed up...Wendy hates me now...I was terrible to say such things. What do I do? Where am I to go now?_

I thought these thoughts as I walked alone, and I was sure I was going to get in trouble, when I finally reached someone. I was almost at the first floor of stairwell, and Bowser Junior was already, about to walk through one of the two doors that were there. He turned when he heard my steps and grinned widely.

"Fawn!" Junior yelled excitedly. I felt a little relieved to see Junior, a friend.

"Hi Junior," I said weakly.

He looked around me and asked, "Where's Wendy? What happened?"

My eyes widened and I grew very nervous. "Oh...um...you see..."

He noticed my tone and growled. It sounded very cute, as it was underdeveloped. "Was she mean to you?"

I shook my head, still nervous. I finally just spoke the truth. "No Junior...I was mean to her."

His eyes lit up at this. "Really?"

I nodded ruefully. "Yes...she wanted to apply makeup, and I didn't want to. So I told her it was gross and I didn't like it...that was rude, I know, but-"

Instead of Junior getting mad like I thought he would, he began to laugh hysterically. He held on to my dress as he doubled over in laughter. _Um...what?_

Once he stopped, he looked up at me. "You really are awesome! You get how dumb Wendy and all girls' makeup and stuff are."

I blinked. "You're...not mad?"

He guffawed. "No! Wendy can be so bratty, I knew you'd be cool enough not to like her or her dumb girl stuff! You're a cool girl!" He chuckled. "How'd she react?"

I winced, not liking the memory. "She um...grew very angry. She started screeching...which didn't sound nice. She told me to leave, so I did."

He groaned. "Ugh, Wendy's screeching is so painful. I'm so glad you ditched her."

I sighed, feeling relieved that I didn't seem to be in trouble. But at the same time, I still felt bad for Wendy. She seemed hurt.

"Now you can play with me!" Junior exclaimed.

I felt unsure, not knowing if it was okay. But I realized I probably didn't have anything else to do, so I smiled and said, "Sure, I'd love to."

He beamed and grabbed my hand. "Well come on!"

He ran through that door that led to a hallway similar to the one that lead to Wendy's. Except, unlike hers, it had orange floors and dark green walls. There were lots of paintings of Bowser Junior, except they all looked like they weren't professionally done. They were slightly cruder, not that they were bad. I also saw an award for painting on the wall.

"Here's my room!" Junior said. Like Wendy's door, it had an emblem that looked like him. He opened it and brought me inside.

I looked around the room. The floor had a jigsaw design that was orange and green. I didn't know what the color of the walls were, as it was covered with paintings. They were all drawn like the ones in the hall. Inside the room was a queen sized bed that had all sorts of designs, like suns and clouds and dogs. There was also a plasma TV on top of a dresser, and a large desk that had lots of drawers in it. I noted that it was splattered with paint.

I put it together. "Junior, do you like to draw?"

He nodded, and cockily said, "Yep! I'm the best there is!"

I looked around at the paintings. They weren't fantastic, although they were good. "How old are you?"

"Four. Why?"

"Wow, four? These paintings are amazing for a four year old!" I said, surprised.

He grinned cockily, but I could tell he was blushing a little. "I know! Heh...thanks though!"

I smiled and he said, "Would you like to see some of them?"

"I'd love to."

He took me around his room, pointing out paintings. Some of the concepts were actually very creative for a four year old. He showed his father holding the sun in his mouth, angels flying around a golden gate, and other things along those lines. Then there were things that you'd expect from a four year old.

"Here's my family beating up Mario!" Junior pointed out.

I chuckled at the scene; Bowser was crushing Mario's head with his foot with his children cheering. "You guys really must want to take him down!"

"Yeah, he's a gross little mean doodoo head," Junior said bitterly, scrunching up his face. "He always takes Mama Peach away from King Dad!"

_Oh right, Bowser loves Peach. I'd be pretty upset if I was his kid._ I turned to a painting of Bowser and Peach holding each other's hand, smiling and looking in to each other's eyes, with both using there other hand to hold Junior's hands.

"I guess that shows in this painting, huh?" I asked, pointing to the painting.

He looked at it and nodded. "Yup, I really want Mama Peach and King Dad to get together so we can be a big happy family!"

I smiled. "I hope that happens."

I found another painting that caught my eye. It was sort of hidden, but it showed a Dragon Koopa woman surrounded by angels. I was about to ask about it when Junior said, "Let's play with my toys!"

He ran to the chest and threw out a bunch of toys. He picked up a super hero action figure and spoke in a manly voice.

"I'm SuperKoopa, and I protect the weak, while messing with them!"

I chuckled and grabbed some figure of a girl in a tattered dress. "And I'm...uh..."

"You can still be Fawn!"

"Okay, I'm Fawn still!"

We played games with the toys, with my character getting kidnapped by Mario a lot, until Junior stopped playing suddenly. When I looked at him, he grew a little embarrassed. "You know...you really are cool."

I smiled, blushing a little at his kind praise. "Thank you."

"Peach is already gonna be my mama, since she's nice, and King Dad likes her...but maybe you could be my really good friend. Or aunt or something!"

"You want me in your family?"

"Yeah!" He mumbled, "Sometimes, all my siblings don't want to play with me, cuz I'm to young. And Peach doesn't want to play all my games, like Battle, or Cannons..." He grinned. "But you do!"

I smiled largely. "Thank you. I'm not your family, but I'll always be your friend."

Junior nodded. "Okay!"

At that moment, Kamek walked in. "Junior, time to help Roy clean up your mess you made yesterday."

Junior groaned. "Again!?"

He nodded. "Yes, it's not clean yet."

"But I'm playing with Fawn!" Junior whined.

"You were?" he asked curiously. He looked at me. "How nice of you, Fawn."

I blushed and looked away. "It was my pleasure...it was fun."

He nodded and said, "Sorry, but time to go." He took out his wand and waved it, making the jewel glow. I watched intently as all the toys levitated and went in to the chest. I was awed by his magic. "Wow..." I whispered.

Junior, on the other hand, mumbled, "Why can't you just clean it?"

Kamek glared at him and replied, "To teach you not to do it again."

Junior pouted. "Fine." He turned to me and stood. "Bye Fawn!" he said, hugging me around my torso, nestling his face in to my chest.

I smiled warmly at his friendliness. It was my first time hugging a Dragon Koopa. _He's so small...but so warm. _I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, minding his spikes. "Bye Junior."

He released me and hurried out the door. I noticed Kamek tuck his wand away, making me contemplate his magic again.

"Thanks for being nice to him, Fawn," Kamek said warmly.

"It's okay..." I said absently. "What kind of magic can you do...?"

"Hm?"

I realized I had spoken my thoughts...again. "Oh...sorry. I was just wondering...magic seems really cool..."

"Thank you, that's nice of you!"

"You're welcome…"

I thought he was going to leave, but he suddenly looked like he had a thought, and began to rub his chin. "You know...I've actually finished all my work for today. You've been very kind to the royal family, I feel as though we owe you...how about I put on a little magic show for you?"

My eyes widened in excitement. _A magic show...I'll get to see...a magic show!?_ "Yes!" I exclaimed. "Yes...I'd like that very much. If it's okay..."

He waved his hand. "It's fine. Say...how would you like for me to invite Bowser too?"

I quirked my eyebrow. _Wonder why he would..._ "Well sure. I haven't talked to him much, it would be neat. If he wants to, that is..."

He chuckled. "I'm sure he will. Come with me, we'll have the show in the throne room."

I smiled. "Okay."

He took my hand and suddenly, I was surrounded by a poof a smoke. For a few seconds, it seemed as though I was in a world of darkness, with colorful shapes floating around. I was amazed by it, wanting to study it, but the next thing I knew I was in a throne room.

"Wow...that was amazing!" I exclaimed.

He chuckled. "I'm glad. Hang on, I'll get Bowser."

He teleported away, and I waited for him to come back.

* * *

**Bowser**

I was sitting in my room watching TV, a little tired. I had finally finished my paperwork, and with a little time to spare. But I was to tired to kidnap Peach, so I stayed here. I was just relaxing, until Kamek came in. Apparently he had set up a magic show for Fawn.

"I don't want to," I muttered.

"Well, what else are you doing?" Kamek asked.

"I'm relaxing," I said annoyed.

"A magic show can be relaxing."

"It'll be boring. I've seen it since I was a kid." That was true.

Kamek grinned. "Well, maybe it'll be fun to watch it with a friend."

I growled. "Are you assuming Fawn is my friend?"

He shrugged. "I'm assuming she could be if you gave her a shot."

"Well...I don't feel like it," I mumbled. It was sort of true.

"Come on!" Kamek persisted. "You spend almost all your free time either by yourself like this, or occasionally with your family. But you never have any friends you hang out with anymore! That's all I'm asking for; you don't even need to love this girl. Just be friends with her. Or at least try to. That's all I'd like, okay?"

I thought about it. _Well...he isn't going to stop bugging me...and I did get him to compromise...and maybe I'll enjoy the company...maybe._

"Oh all right," I muttered.

Kamek grinned and said, "Excellent. Follow me, milord. Fawn's waiting for us."

I muttered 'okay' and got up. _Maybe this won't be to bad..._

* * *

Around ten minutes later, Kamek and I came walking through the throne room. Fawn beamed when she saw us.

"Hi Kamek. Hi Bowser!" she said. I noticed that she sounded more enthusiastic greeting me.

"Hey," I said gruffly.

"Well, are you two ready for the magic show?" Kamek asked.

Fawn nodded enthusiastically and I grunted. I noted how she looked like a little kid right now.

Kamek grinned and said, "Why don't you two sit down?"

I grunted and took a seat on my throne. Fawn looked around and saw no other seat, so she sat on the floor next to me. I was expecting her to sit far away, but she didn't, which surprised me. She was only a foot away from my leg, I'd say.

"Alright, let's get started!" Kamek said enthusiastically. With that, he waved his wand and the geometric shapes began form. I noticed that he only focused on making clouds of geometric figures, as it wasted less energy, and it was all Fawn needed to he entertained.

I was bored, so I looked at her to see her mouth agape, and her eyes wide with childlike wonder. Every time Kamek made a new cloud or a new figure, she'd clap her hands with glee. She was like a little kid, and it was rather amusing to watch.

This reminded me of a question I was somewhat curious to know. "Fawn...what do you think of my kids?"

"Huh?" Fawn said, breaking away from the show for the first time to look at me. She blinked and turned back when she noticed Kamek do something new, but she still spoke.

"Oh...they're all really nice. They're wonderful, and cute, and friendly. I like them a lot."

I rose a brow, surprised by that response. "Really? Most people think they're monsters!"

She hummed in thought. "I wonder why..." She seemed to realize something, but didn't say anything.

I noticed this. "You sure you like all the Koopalings? You seemed scared of some of them."

She blushed. She nervously said, "Well...I think I do...but I guess I didn't get along with a few."

"Which ones?"

She paused. "Well...Junior is a very nice boy, we actually played again today."

I looked at her, surprised. "Again? Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah…I had nothing to do, so he asked if we could play. We played with action figures and he showed me his paintings. He's very good!"

I nodded, knowing my son's talent. _Wow…she really does like the Koopalings. That's a first… _"That he is…well, what about the others?"

"Well…Morton, and Lemmy are very nice. Iggy's nice, I think, because he seems to like watching me. But um..." She gulped before continuing. "I didn't really talk to Ludwig to much, he didn't seem to want to. And same with Larry. He left me when I was taking care of him, which was mean. Then Roy was mean to me. And Wendy..." She got nervous

"What about Wendy?"

She sighed. "She was being pushy and wanted to put makeup on me...I didn't like it, so I told her to stop and...that really hurt her. She got real mad and told me to leave. I'm sorry..."

She seemed genuinely scared. I, on the other hand, understood this. I chuckled at the thought of how non-girly this girl can was at times. "It's okay. Wendy's always been like that. If you don't like that stuff, you don't have to change for her. You're fine how you are now." My eyes widened at my own slip up. _Where the hell did that come from?_

She turned around at me and smiled largely, blushing slightly. She scooted closer and patted my leg lightly. "Thank you," she said, before scooting away again. I noticed that she wasn't as far away now.

The touch felt foreign at first, and I realized that was because it was a friendly touch. Something I wasn't used to from people anymore. It felt kind of nice to be touched by a friend.

_By a friend? I can't just go thinking that...is she my friend?_ I looked at her. Her attention was now on Kamek. _I guess she's my...good acquaintance. Yeah, let's go with that. It sounds better...because I guess she is a little cool. She's not like any other girl really...must be why I said what I said._

Finally the magic show stopped. I looked at Kamek, who looked whipped.

"Thanks for coming..." Kamek huffed. "Hoped you enjoyed the show!"

Fawn clapped. "Yay! Thanks for the show Mr. Kamek...it was very good! I was amazed, thank you!"

Kamek bowed to her, seeming a little proud. It's probably been a while since his magic was complimented. "Thank you Fawn, I'm very glad you liked it."

He turned to me. "How'd you like it, sire?"

I grumbled, trying to decide my words. _How to describe this experience..._ "It was different."

Kamek seemed to like that response. "I suppose it was."

Fawn stood up. "Well, I suppose I should get going now...your dinner starts soon, doesn't it?"

Kamek checked his watch. "Indeed it does...how'd you know?"

She shrugged. "Just remembered."

I shrugged too. "Whatever. You know your way back?"

She nodded. "Yes, I think so. I'll be leaving."

She turned to Kamek. "Bye Mr. Kamek...um, thanks for the show."

Kamek nodded and warmly replied, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

She turned to me and said, "Bye, Bowser..." She grew nervous. "Uh...thanks for understanding…about Wendy."

_Oh, so that meant something to her_. "It's no problem," I said nonchalantly. "I'll see you."

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "With that, she walked out of the throne room.

Kamek immediately turned to me and asked, "Did you have fun?"

I felt tired to be honest, and didn't know how to respond. So I got up and said, "I guess."

I began walking to the door.

"Well was it-"

"I'm going to dinner. I'm tired and hungry," I interrupted.

_I suppose this was kind of fun...talking to someone who doesn't hate me and outside of family, watching her look like a fool...beats TV. I just know that it' was much less relaxing, I'm tired as hell._

* * *

**Lol hope you enjoyed the chapter! Look forward to the next, but for now, read, review, fav, follow, byee**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Well last time Fawn got some bonding with Junior and Bowser, and Wendy hates her for being a girl but not being girly. Yayyy. So here's a different Koopaling experience. Enjoy**

* * *

Chapter 12: Creative Minds

**Cult**

We had just made our way through the fourth land when we stopped to make camp on the outskirts of the fifth, in a forest like area.

Luigi sighed in relief as he plopped to the ground. Mario and I sat as Mario opened his bag. He pulled out a nutrition bar and threw it to Luigi, who failed to catch it. He pulled another one out for me, but I raised my hand to stop him. "No need."

Mario raised his brow. "Why-a?"

"We should save it, since I can get my own food over there," I said, gesturing toward the forest.

"Oh, I-a see...I suppose-a that makes sense-a. You sure you can-a do it?"

I chuckled. "This is my field, Mario. I may not be as good at adventuring as you are, but I can at least gather if I can't find nothing."

Mario nodded and I took off.

The woods were lush and green, a typical forest. Not as good as Tanooki Forest, but it was good. I looked around for quite a while until I found some edible berries.

I sat down and munched on them, enjoying their tart taste. I thought of the situation at hand. _Man...their battle strategy is crazy! I mean, I know that they rescue the princess pretty fast...but if they just went another route, they'd get there even faster!_

I heard a twig snap, and I quickly turned my head to the noise. There was a rabbit, treading carefully in the dark forest, somewhat close to me. I grinned. _Perfect._

I stalked toward it ever so slightly, knowing the distance where it would notice me. Waiting for the optimal time, I silently stood there until the rabbit stood in place for just a second. Seeing this as the best time, I threw the spear with pinpoint accuracy, nailing the rabbit. I grinned and made preparations to cook the animal.

_Hm...I do think he's an idiot...but it's still probably not smart to just leave him._

* * *

**Fawn**

I opened my eyes and adjusted it to my blinding surroundings. _Damn it, I forgot to ask Bowser if I can get a new room! I'm not even sure if I should though…_

I groaned and got up, brushing my teeth and getting ready for the day. When I walked out of the bathroom, I was thinking of watching TV, but the door knocked. As usual, I wrapped myself in my blanket and went to the door.

But Jimmy wasn't standing there like usual. Instead, I looked down a little to see Bowser Junior standing there.

"Morning Fawn!" he greeted in delight.

I smiled back, happy to see him. "Good morning Junior. How come you're here?"

He chuckled nervously. "Well...I kinda forgot to ask King Dad yesterday if you could come to breakfast." He quickly said, "We have to go quick! If we don't, it'll be to late!"

I stared at him in a little disbelief before smiling. "You...want me at breakfast that bad?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh. I'm going outside to play with a friend today, so I won't see you! That's why you gotta hurry so we can eat breakfast together!"

I nodded and said, "Thank you. I'll get changed real quick and..." I looked around my room. "I don't have anything to change in to..."

"That blanket's not okay?"

I considered this. "...I don't think so, no..."

"Well, I found this outside your door," he said, holding up a clothes bag. "I think it has clothes!"

I took the bag. "Thanks Junior! Be out in a second!"

I shut the door after he said, "Kay!"

I quickly shed my clothes and opened the bag. Inside it I found a dark green T-Shirt and dark green shorts. I smiled at the casual attire. Upon further inspection of the bag I found a note from Tina, confirming the clothes were from her. I changed in to the new stuff and walked out of my room to meet Junior.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

He grabbed my hand and led me to the kitchen, although I was already beginning to learn my way to it.

* * *

I rushed in to the room with Junior, and I had become slightly afraid. I thought about the possible consequences of Wendy seeing me, and of being late to breakfast. I walked in to the mess hall filled with nerves.

Upon entry, everyone glanced up at us. Ludwig and Larry looked away quickly, uninterested. Roy's gaze lasted a second more before he also looked away. Morton and Lemmy said, "Morning Fawn! Junior!" Iggy observed my movements. Wendy sneered at me, looking hateful, which made me very uncomfortable. Bowser was staring us both down, making me fearful of what he was thinking.

"Junior..." he said, deadpan. "Why were you late to breakfast? And why did you bring Fawn?"

Junior sweetly said, "Well...I forgot to ask you yesterday if she could come..." He quickly began reasoning while putting on puppy eyes. "And I wasn't sure who else was going to feed her, so I thought at least for today!"

He hummed in thought before complying. "Alright, fine. But you're giving your seconds to her."

Junior didn't seem to like this. But he still grumbled, "Okay..."

Wendy didn't seem to be okay with this though. "But King Daddy! Isn't this supposed to be, like, family times?" Wendy complained. She pointed an accusatory finger at me and sneered. "She's ruining it! So not okay!"

Junior growled lightly at her and I sort of shrunk behind him, despite his small stature, scared of Wendy's wrath and possible sphere of influence. I waited for Bowser to answer.

He sighed and said, "Wendy, you don't usually seem to have that mentality."

She pouted. "But-"

"But I suppose you're right. This'll be your last day eating here, Fawn."

I nodded quickly, not wanting to anger anyone. "That's okay! I-I'm sorry that I'm here today..."

He shook his head. "Whatever, it's fine."

Junior ran out to the kitchen, leaving me alone. Not for long though, as he came out dragging a simple wood chair. I picked it up for him and took my seat between him and Bowser.

We all sat in silence as we waited for our food to come. It was a rather awkward wait for me, as I could practically feel Wendy glaring at me. I was overcome with guilt and nerves, becoming panicked as I sat there.

_Oh no...I really did screw up! I made a girl hate me! Oh, what am I doing here? I'm not supposed to be at this table, I should be in the room! In that pink room...maybe I should just-_

"Don't worry about it," Bowser whispered, sounding simple about it. I turned to him, but he was looking away. I got that he didn't want to talk to me right now. But his words almost made me feel all better, and I stopped feeling so nervous. _Thank you Bowser._

"I'm sorry Wendy's being so mean. Don't worry about her," Junior whispered to me.

I smiled and whispered back, "It's fine."

He looked guilty. "Sorry that I got you in to this..."

I grinned, remembering what Bowser told me. "It's okay, I'm alright."

He grinned back and as he did the food finally came out.

I decided it'd be smarter to pay attention to how I was eating today. So I made sure to eat with my utensils, as neatly as I could. I tried to ignore the chatter of the table and kept to myself and my daydreams, as I still felt like I didn't belong. Thankfully, no one really addressed me.

But eventually, as I was daydreaming, a question came to mind that I somehow hadn't thought of. _What am I supposed to do today? Where do I go?_

It struck me that I had something to do the past three days, someone to spend the time with. _But today, since Junior and several others will be absent, what will I do?_

I decided that the only thing I could do was ask Bowser.

"Excuse me..." I spoke timidly, afraid my question would be ill received. "Bowser?"

He continued to eat as he asked, "What?" with his mouth full.

"Um...what do I do today?"

"Huh?"

"I mean...where do I go? The last three days someone was supervising me, so I was wondering if I just go back to my room, or if someone will watch me, or..."

He stopped eating and scratched his chin. "Huh...good question." He paused to think. "Well, there are guards surrounding the castle walls, so you can't escape. So you can pretty much go anywhere within the castle, since you can't escape anyway." He said that last part a bit cockily.

_Okay, so I'm not allowed to escape obviously...but I can really go anywhere else? That sounds fun! _"Okay, thank you Bowser!" I said happily.

He went back to his food. "Whatever."

With this, I went back to eating. Once I finished my food, I looked up at everyone. I was shocked to find that almost everyone was gone from the mess hall. _Guess they really do trust me to roam around the halls...well, today will be fun!_

I was about to set off for it when someone that I didn't realize was still in the room spoke up.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I turned my head to see Iggy, smiling oddly at me.

I was a little startled. "Oh um...hello, Iggy. I was just thinking of...well, exploring the castle...maybe..."

He chuckled in his strange fashion. "As much as I'd like to observe you're behavioral habits in such a situation, I believe it's time that we started with the real tests..."

I knit my brows in thought. "What kind of tests?"

"Simple ones...no need to fear. I'd just like to ask some questions, take some hair, a little blood, maybe a skin sample, the usual..."

I frowned in thought. _Why would he want that? What's he going to do with it? That's odd...I guess I'll find out. I should, it's the least I could do. And what's the harm?_

"Sure...if you'd like," I replied calmly.

He cackled. "Oh excellent! Such a cooperative test subject! They usually aren't..." He grumbled, "Always asking for payment, and what not."

"People ask you to pay them for their blood and hair?" I asked curiously.

"That's right! It's blasphemous; they hold no respect for the progression of science!" Iggy declared angrily.

I tried to wrap my head around why people would ask for payment, and why he would comply with such a request. _I don't get any of this._ I shrugged and said, "I'll comply…seems like the least I could do…"

He grinned and said, "Excellent. Follow me, my favorite subject!"

He began to pace quickly toward the door. I lingered on him calling me 'favorite'. _I don't know if being a subject is good...but at least I'm the favorite!_

"Okay...coming," I said, following him.

* * *

He led me to the same stairwell that led to Junior and Wendy's rooms. _I guess this is where all the Koopalings live..._

He led me to the same floor that Wendy's hallway was on, which made me nervous. However, he walked through the other door on the floor, besides Wendy's. _Guess they live on the same floor._

"This way," Iggy said, walking down the metallic hallway. I followed his lead and observed the decorations of the hallway.

The walls and floor were metallic chrome, clanking softly under our feet. Like the other two hallways, there were paintings of Iggy hung up. However, like the others, his paintings were unique. Much more unique. It presented him very odd ways. One showed him on the moon, another holding a press conference to a tribe of Yoshi's, another showing him in tie dye colors, and many more. Only one was serious, which seemed to be the case in all the hallways. On a display case I saw some sort of gun. There was a label on the bottom that I wanted to read, but Iggy hurried me along.

I was led to Iggy's chrome door, which I opened to reveal his room, which was more of a mini lab. The whole place was metallic like the hallway. There was one king sized bed with gray sheets, making it look Spartan. There was a single closet, and a few inventions of all sorts were hung around, as well as a large desk with blueprints scattered over it and two rolling chairs in front of it. Finally, in the corner, was a giant computer with a large hard drive and a bunch of other things next to it, all on top of a desk with many drawers.

"Wow...your room is...interesting," I said carefully, observing it all.

"Thank you, I would prefer it if I could make my lab larger. Unfortunately, I was restricted, so I've got to use the castle's lab at times," Iggy said hatefully. "I hate sharing it with the other scientists, they're dumb and try to steal my ideas! Oh, come this way please."

He led me to the computer and rolled the two chairs in front of it. We both took a seat.

"Now, let's start with some questions," Iggy said as he fished through his drawers. "Firstly, what common habits do you partake in at your home village?"

_Oh, this'll be easy!_ I thought about this. "Hm...well, I sometimes I run simple errands for my father, like buying food and what not, sometimes I hunt..."

He turned to me at this. "Interesting...you do seem to be somewhat muscular...but not very, as you displayed in your fight with Morton. So how would you hunt?"

"Well, I'm okay with a bow and arrow...but not the best, as you saw. Instead, I liked to use traps..."

"Ah, that makes sense! Like your two tricks that you used on Morton! They were indeed clever! Oh, I'll have to make you take an IQ test at some point so I may better grasp your intelligence!"

I smiled faintly. "Um...thanks."

"You said you had a father, any blood relation? If not, where did you originate?"

I told him about Cult and where he found me. "I see...that's interesting. It's to bad we don't know, it's probably valuable information. Oh well."

He pulled out a syringe and said, "Okay, I'm just going to take a drop of blood now. Don't squirm, or there will be consequences."

I shrugged and pointed out my finger. "Okay."

"So compliant, I love it..." He pricked my finger out, and it stung for only a second, before he stopped and my blood was in the syringe. He squirted it on a tray and began to type on the keypad.

"So, do you have any affiliation with magic?" Iggy asked.

"Um...no..."

"Hm...odd. You seem to be the only human so far that can't. That gives me less to work with..."

I sighed, beginning to feel worthless. But I felt hope rise as I asked, "Do you think that you can find out if I can use magic in my blood?"

"Hm...it is possible to tell. Perhaps you just haven't found your powers. I'll look in to it."

I instantly began to speculate again on my powers. "Maybe I can fly..."

Before I could even feel embarrassed about speaking out loud, Iggy cackled. "Or perhaps you have laser eye vision!"

My eyes lit, ecstatic. _Wow, I thought that too! ...Does he want me to keep talking?_ "Or maybe I can control other elements, beside fire!"

"Or maybe you can create gelatin from thin air!"

"Or maybe I can turn people in to chocolate!"

"Or maybe you're the key to destroying the Metroid race!"

I cocked my head in curiosity. "Metroid? What are those?"

He scrunched his face up. "They're a simple parasitic based life organism that feed off the life of others. Very dangerous, capable of destroying mankind."

I shivered. "They sound dangerous! I've never heard of them, where did you find out about them?"

"In a dream. I know they're coming though! They are...but I can't talk about them much, otherwise people tell me I'm mad…"

"I see...you know, I've had dreams like that too," I said, practically speculating now.

"Really!? Tell me!" Iggy asked, very interested.

I felt surprised. No one is ever interested in my dreams... "Well...they're called the Shroobs. They're purple, and most of them look like evil purple Toads, and a few are humanoid purple Toads...they're very aggressive and feed of the life of Toads."

"They sound deadly!" he exclaimed. "I'll take heed of them immediately! Thank you for the warning, comrade!"

"...Comrade?" I asked.

"Yes, that is right! You're the first to take heed to my warning, and have possible insight on a threat that I don't!"

I smiled at his praise. I noticed I wasn't to nervous around him now, so I asked, "Listen...Iggy...would you like to be my friend?"

I stuck out my hand. When he took it, I felt a prick.

"Ow!" I yelped, retracting my hand. I saw a light scrape on my palm.

He too retracted his hand to reveal a piece of my skin and a knife. "You were offering me a skin sample, right? That's what friends do."

I stared at him a little, processing that. For some reason I found that hilarious and began chuckling. This got him cackling too. In a few seconds, both of us were leaning over, cracking up.

_You know...Iggy's cackle sounds weird. And apparently mine does too. Wonder what we sound like..._

* * *

**Wendy**

I was walking to my room, super annoyed. _I mean, who does Fawn think she is? Outright snuffing me! So uncool, what a bitch!_

I frowned and stood at the cross between the two halls. _I just wanted a girlfriend...was that so much to ask for? I had the right to get mad!_

For some reason I was kinda curious to know what she was doing. Remembering that she was with Iggy, I found myself walking down Iggy's hallway. _Idk why I'm doing this, I guess I'm just curious..._

Once I was outside the door, I heard something coming from the room. _OMS...they sound like a couple of mad scientists!_

* * *

**Fawn**

I had stayed a little longer in his room to do a few more tests and chat until he said we finished. I didn't want to bother him, so I left to finally explore the castle.

I made my way down the stairs, and near the end I encountered Ludwig.

He met my eyes, and neutrally said, "Salutations, Fawn."'

"Um...hello," I returned nervously.

Saying nothing more, he began to pass by me up the stairs. But I suddenly realized I shouldn't just end the conversation there. I remembered how he acted when we first met. "Um...thank you for helping me when I was babysitting...when I fell."

He nodded. "It was my pleasure. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get to work at composing. My time has been consumed by rather trivial and belittling affairs of my undeserving superiors."

"Um...okay!" I said, hoping I wasn't wasting his time.

Saying no more to me, he took off upstairs. Sighing, wondering if he didn't like me, I continued my adventure through the castle.

Once I exited the stairwell, I began to wander the halls at random, half trying to map out the castle, although it was a little too big for that. I still enjoyed the interesting atmosphere the torch lit cobblestone halls created, walls littered with interesting paintings. I came across a large window and decided to look through it.

The first thing I saw was a large wall out in the distance, adorned with spikes on the top. I also noticed there was a guard at the bottom of the walls. _I guess Bowser was right when he said that those walls were big...and it seems like they're well-guarded. You can't scale it...maybe if-_

I was going to continue observing the land, as it struck me as odd for some reason, when I heard a frustrated yell. "DAMN!"

_Was that...Bowser? _Curiosity got the better of me, so I walked in the direction of the yell. I walked by what seemed to be a fire alarm, and soon there was a large opening in the cobblestone that seemed to serve as a door. I walked in to it, where I believed the voice came from, to see Bowser hunched over a desk in a chair in a very large room. There were papers that looked like blueprints scattered on the desk, and he was writing away on it. "How can I make this different…?" I heard him mutter.

Deciding I had nothing better to do and was curious, I slowly walked in to the room and stood next to him, minding his spikes. He didn't even notice me, as he was to caught up in his work. I took the moment to take a look at what he was drawing. What I saw surprised me.

There were two different drawings. One was some sort of...battleship. There was a scale to show how big it would be, and it was gigantic, with several rooms in it. It had all sorts of cannons on the ship, making it look very deadly. The other one is some sort of weird helicopter thing with a clown face. It had blueprints and information scribbled next to the drawing on information and the mechanics. I was very interested, so I decided to ask.

"What is it?"

Bowser yelped and jumped up from his seat. He turned to me and irately asked, "What are you doing here!? Why'd you sneak up on me like that!?"

I felt a little bad that I was pretty much snooping. "Oh...sorry...I just saw you working on something, so I got curious..."

He glared at me a little before grunting and saying, "Whatever."

He continued to work.

"Um...what are they?" I asked, still curious.

"These are the blueprints for the Clown Copter Mach 25, and the Skyship Model 9," he answered, still facing to his work.

"...They're very interesting," I said honestly.

"Interesting?" he asked suspiciously.

"Yeah! They're really cool looking!" I said, still honest. I did find them really cool.

He turned to me and stared before grinning. "Huh...this your taste?"

I nodded. "The Skyship looks so powerful and big...and the Clown Copter is just plain cool looking!"

He looked at me for a little before he guffawed, which was nice to see from him. "Hah! Well, glad to meet a girl with good taste!"

I nodded happily. "Yeah! Can I ask some questions on them? They're very interesting, but there are some things I want to ask..."

He stopped grinning and looked at me skeptically, as if wondering what I would ask, and if he should bother. But he shrugged and said, "Sure."

"So...from the shape of the two ships, is the Clown Copter for transportation and simple battle, and the Skyship for voyages and war?" I asked, saying my first impression.

"Uh...yeah," he said, raising his brow in surprise.

"Well, why do you have cannons on the deck of the ship? You won't be able to hit anyone off of the ship like that..."

He growled. "That's because it's for people _on_ the ship."

I processed that. "Oh, Mario."

"Humph," he grunted.

"Well...from what I've heard, that doesn't work to well..."

"I'm working on it!" he said angrily.

I realized I angered him and backed off until I realized a way I could make it up. "Um...if you like, I have an idea..."

He looked at me skeptically again, again wondering if he should bother. But he finally asked, "Sure, what is it?"

"Well...he's used to cannons. Sure they're strong and hard to dodge, but he's athletic enough to dodge it. It won't work. So, you need to do something more tactical...something he wouldn't expect."

He actually looked somewhat curious. "Like what?"

"Traps," I said, recommending my one true skill. "Set traps on the ship that are cleverly hidden. Like pitfalls and such."

He rubbed his chin, humming in thought. "Hm...interesting. Maybe a change would be in order...I may incorporate that some. Maybe..."

I smiled, not considering that I was potentially harming Mario.

"Also...what are these Clown Copters like exactly?" I asked, very intrigued by the design.

He chuckled and said, "I guess you haven't noticed where you are yet."

I looked around and realized I was in a hangar. We were at a desk in front of the large room, but right behind us sat eight vehicles that looked like different Clown Copters. They all looked like floating clown faces, varying in design, size, weapons, and engines.

"Wow..." I said awestruck. "You built all this!?"

He grinned and stood up with his hands on his hips. "That's right! Built it all by myself!" He said proudly.

"Really?"

"...Maybe Iggy and a few other engineers help," he muttered. "But mainly me! I draw all the blueprints and build a lot of it!"

"Wow!" I said, very impressed. "These are so cool...and you're so talented! You can draw and build...I see where Iggy and Junior get it from."

"Hah, well..." he said, rubbing his neck. "They're chips off the old block."

I continued to stare at the Copters. "Wow...what's it like in one of those I wonder..."

There was a pause before he unsurely asked, "Wanna see?"

I whipped around to him, not sure if I heard him right. "You mean it!?"

He nodded, grinning. "Sure, if you're really that interested..."

I squealed in excitement and ran towards the machines. "Oh, come on then!"

He looked surprised by my energy, and he called, "Wait a second! I need to get the keys, don't touch anything!"

I stopped in the middle of all the machines. "Okay, sorry."

I stood and observed them all until Bowser came to me with the keys. I noticed it was a key attached to a tiny control panel. "Alright, I'll show you the Mach 20."

"Okay!"

He walked up to one of the machines and pressed a button, causing a ladder to fall off the side of the clown copter.

"You first," he said, gesturing to the ladder.

"Um...alright," I said, beginning to climb up the ladder. Once I reached the top, I climbed over the side of it and in to the Clown Copter.

The inside was somewhat small, only containing enough standing room for about three people, minus the two chairs, one close to the side and one in front of a large control panel with multiple switches and buttons. I quickly observed it as Bowser got in. I noticed he took up a good amount of room alone.

"Hm...I suppose there's not a lot to look at it..." Bowser said thoughtfully.

I shook my head. "That's alright, I still wanted to see! Thank you for-"

"Listen..." he said unsurely. "If you like...I could take you for a ride on this thing. If you want."

My eyes widened at that. _Fly...I'd...fly? For real? For real!?_ "Oh my stars I would love that!" I exclaimed quickly and excitedly.

He grinned and said, "Well alright! Let's take off!"

He sat down in the seat in front of the controls. I sat down in the other one and watched him. He pressed a button on the keys and the metal wall began to slide up. I watched this for only a second before he put the key in a slot on the panel. The machine began to shake and the engine purred, filling me with excitement. He pulled a lever and we actually began to levitate. Finally, he pushed a yolk forward, and we began to move forward. My body was trembling with excitement, and soon I found myself outside the hangar.

I squealed with excitement as I realized we were hovering in midair. He chuckled and pulled a lever that made us go higher, which made me stand and grip the rail in excitement. "Geez...you're having fun," he said, still chuckling. "Well, if you're going to stand, hold tight."

Once were higher than the walls, we moved forward and flew over them. I squealed as we moved, beyond excited. A thought came to mind and I looked over the edge.

The scenery was incredible. Gray and purple grass covered the land beneath me, with small streams of lava trickling through it. I finally saw the sky of this land, and saw that it was a shade of violet, with orange clouds flying by, although that may've been from the setting sun. The landscape was something I'd never seen before, and it was beautiful.

My eyes were lit up and my mouth open in a wide smile. Bowser chuckled. "So, like the scenery?"

"Gorgeous!" I choked out. "Nothing like how it is at home…"

"Hah, you do have good taste."

As I observed the land, and felt the sensation of flying, with the wind flowing through my hair, I couldn't help but emote in my way.

_Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars!_

_Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars!_

_In other words-_

"What are you doing?"

I stopped cold. I chuckled nervously and said, "Uh...I don't know, I just felt like singing."

"Um...okay, whatever," he said, looking clearly confused and thoughtful.

I smiled and looked out at the sunset one more time before Bowser said, "Okay, let's go back."

I nodded. "Okay."

He pressed a few more buttons, which I watched carefully, and we touched down in the hangar again.

"Well, here we are," Bowser said. "Have fun?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yep! I really did, thank you so much! That was amazing!"

He chuckled and said, "Most people are terrified on that thing."

"That's weird...it's to pretty for that!

He grinned. "My thoughts exactly."

We descended the ladder and stood around in silence, wondering what happens next, when Bowser finally said, "Well, I imagine dinner's starting soon. I've got to go, see you."

He walked away and I called, "Okay, thanks again for everything! You're really nice!"

He did something weird. He stopped for a second before continuing without a word, leaving the room.

_Huh, that's weird...maybe he didn't hear me._

Shrugging, I left to my own room.

* * *

**Hey there! Okay, first off, on top of not owning Mario, I don't own Metroid. I may make Iggy and Fawn(cuz they're crazy) reference other Nintendo games as I see fit, but they'll just be tiny references.**

**Besides that, yay Bowser and Fawn are getting closer! And Fawn had two more interactions with the Koopalings. Iggy and Ludwig. Yes, that was an interaction, because that's how I saw it working. Here's their relationship in a nutshell. Fawn: 'Um...hi Ludwig.' Ludwig: 'You're lack of basic culture disgusts me, and I have more vital things to attend to then associating with you. Good day ma'am.' Well...he is supposed to be cocky. So cocky + cultured= snob! Yayy!**

**For you Ludwig fans, don't worry, that's not going to be the end of their relationship and Ludwig's character development. There will be more. Same with Wendy. As for Iggy, they get along because they're both...creative, for lack of a better term.**

**Lastly, since it'll be obvious, the next two chapters will be structured the same as these last two. Fawn talks to two new Koopalings and Bowser, basically. I figured giving her detailed relationships with the Koopalings would make the fic more interesting then solely focusing on her and Bowser (though that'll be a lot of it.)**

**Okay, I'm done. Thank you for reading, review and stuff! Bye!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay so last time we got some Iggy and Ludwig time. Fawn gets along with Iggy, not Ludwig to much. Now we get two more: Roy and Lemmy! **

**Thank you to reviewers TrollingForever and Angela :)**

**Enjoy**

* * *

Chapter 13: Nightmares

**Luigi**

We had finally managed to get past the fifth land. And not a moment to soon, the boss was terrifying!

We were on our way to a good camping site when someone tapped my shoulder. I jumped and whipped around in surprise. Cult was standing there, chuckling.

"Relax Luigi, it's just me."

"Oh...sorry," I said, sighing in relief. I liked him, but he was a little...scary. He was a very gruff Toad, and he had a gruff attitude. He said creepy things sometimes. "Um...uh, what-a is it?"

"Listen...ya ever get tired of this?"

"What do you mean-a?"

"Doing this same old adventure over and over. Ya go on some crazy adventure with Mario and you have to fight all sorts of monsters, which you don't want to, and it's all for nothing!"

"Nothing?"

"It could be so much easier! You don't need to take this same route. Following this same path, taking the long way, fighting monsters, following Mario..."

"Huh?"

"Luigi, you put up with all this crap, all for your brother, and you get no credit. You deserve more than that! Listen, I have better ideas to get to the castle faster. If you followed me, you could get all the credit!"

"I-I...uh..."

"Whaddaya say?"

"Uh...I-I'm okay-a! Bye-a!"

I quickly caught up with Mario, running away from him.

The truth was, I was interested in his offer...I've always wanted to have a little credit. But a new adventure sounded scary! And I couldn't abandon Mario! He may get mad...I couldn't do it!

* * *

**Bowser**

Everyone was gathered around, eating and yelling at each other as usual, when Junior stopped to ask me something.

"Hey, King Dad?"

"What is it son?" I asked, turning to smile at my youngest.

"How come you went out on the Clown Copter last night? I heard it take off and saw you fly out from the window. I could've sworn I saw someone with you..."

I twitched. "Uh...I was just going out for a little joy ride. You know, air myself out. Heh..."

"What about the other person I saw?"

"Erm...you must've imagined it son," I said nervously.

"Oh...okay."

I internally sighed when he gave up, still not feeling comfortable with my ease around Fawn. It felt weird that I had been so friendly with her, I didn't know what I was thinking! She just seemed so curious and happy, and genuinely interested in my work...I guess my ego got the best of me and kind of wanted to show off. Oh who am I kidding...I also wanted to just share it with her. She seemed so happy with it...and so unafraid of it all!

It was astonishing to me that she wasn't afraid of me, but she also embraced flying! This was so unusual for me, and she was so happy and grateful about everything. She was like a real...friend.

To be honest, I didn't have many friends. People found me to be...well, a jackass. Not even that…a good deal of people saw me as a monster. _They just don't get how cool and evil I am!_ As much as I told myself this, outside of the occasional chat with my old friend King Boo, I was rather friendless.

_Is Fawn...my friend?_ I'd asked myself this a million times. I thought long and hard about it in my seat at the breakfast table. I thought about how fearless she was, how nice, how much she loved my kids, how much she liked my ideas...the fact she said we were friends when we met. _I guess it'd be okay if she was kind of my friend..._

* * *

**Fawn**

After I woke up, Jimmy came shortly after. He dropped off a breakfast and the clothes that I came in, taken and washed while I was asleep. I slipped them on, glad to be in my original attire, and ate my meal. Once I finished, I bade Jimmy farewell and took off to explore the castle more.

I walked through the halls, observing it all, before I realized I was finally on the first floor of the castle. Upon further searching, I found the entrance to the castle courtyard. I was struck by the view.

The area was spacious, being about half a football field. The grass was mainly purple, with a few grey areas. There were exotic purple, grey, and red flowers, and Piranha Plants. There were trees splattered around, some bare and some bearing vibrant red leaves. There were cobblestone paths zigzagging throughout it, with a plaza in the shape of Bowser's insignia in the middle of it all. On the small fountain there was a fountain that spewed lava instead of water, and four black obsidian benches.

_Wow...this place is amazing..._ I made my way to one of my benches to sit, when I bumped in to someone. Despite the person being slightly shorter than me, the force he possessed sent me back a few steps.

"Yo! Watch where yo goin!" I saw that it was Roy.

"Oh...um, I'm so sorry!" I said nervously.

"Whatcha think yo doin?" he asked angrily.

"I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to…I wasn't paying attention, and the next thing I knew I was tumbling back from your strength! I'm sorry that I wasn't paying attention!" I was getting more nervous by the second.

But his anger seemed to dissipate as he said, "Strength?"

I thought of what to say before nodding quickly. "Well, yeah! You're really strong.

He stood still, emotionless, before grinning crookedly. "Well…guess I can't blame ya for tryin to feel a guy like me up."

"I...yes?" I said unsurely, not sure what he meant by that.

"Huh...guess I may be okay with it, if a girl like you were doin it," he said, his grin growing wider. He walked a little closer.

"I uh..." I said, uncomfortable with the lack of personal space. I began to back away.

He grinned even wider and slowly placed a claw on my arm. "So...you wanna get wid a prince?"

I didn't know what he meant by 'get with', but I did notice his hand on my arm. It kind of felt like Bowser's, but the touch made me feel very uncomfortable, my personal space feeling violated by someone who wasn't my friend. _What is he doing? Is this normal? ...Do I just let this keep happening?_ He began to slowly move it up and down, and I felt him put his other claw on my hip, his face moving closer. _Okay, I don't know what he's doing, but I don't like it._ The uncomfortableness became to much, and I wiggled my way out of his grasp, backing up quickly.

He stood there holding the air, and looked at me, confused. "What...didn't you wan dis?"

"N-no...no, I didn't like that...I-I'm sorry..." I said, scared.

His face twisted in anger, his eyebrows lowering below his sunglasses. "You bitch, you led me on!"

_What did I do?_ "U-Uh...I'm sorry..." I said, becoming very scared.

"Yo shut up, you're just a dumb bitch afta all."

"N-no I'm not!" I said, indignant.

"Yeah, whateva, dumbass," he said, sneering. He pushed me a little.

I fumbled back and caught myself.

_I'm not dumb...I just don't understand things sometimes!_

"I-I'm not dumb..." I said timidly, feebly trying to defend myself.

"Oh yeah? Whaz ova there?" He said, pointing in the distance.

I turned, wondering what he could be pointing to. "Um...where?"

I felt him shove me from behind and I fell on to my knees.

"Ow..." I said, my knees scraping a little.

He walked in front of my fallen form and chuckled. "Hah! You're even dumba den I thought! You fell for da oldest trick in da book!"

"Wh-what?"

"Later, dumb bitch." He turned and walked away.

"W-wait..." I called feebly, wanting desperately to disprove him.

_I...I'm not... _I curled in to a ball on the floor._ Oh I am...I'm such a failure...I can't pay attention, and I don't get things...like people, or new things...it's like that time with Cult..._

I felt another claw place itself on my shoulder and I turned around sharply. But I saw Lemmy on his ball, hunched over to hold my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Uh...yeah," I said, standing up. "Thank you..."

He frowned and said, "I'm sorry about Roy...he can be mean sometimes, I don't get why...he wasn't always like that. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

I shook my head. "No, but thank you for asking." I was glad to be in the presence of a friend.

"I was walking by right when I saw him push you. I'm sorry it happened..."

"It's okay," I said, beginning to feel better now that Roy was gone and Lemmy was here.

He looked down at my knees. "No you're not! Your knee is bleeding..." He pouted before breaking in to a smile. "Wait! I have band aids in my room! Let's go, I'll get it for you!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, come on!" he said, grabbing my hand.

But I lingered and continued to stare at the area Roy told me to look at.

"Wait...so there was nothing there?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Um...no, there's not really anything there."

"Oh...so it was a trap..."

* * *

Lemmy took me to an elevator that I hadn't noticed in the stairwell. He said he and his siblings usually didn't use it unless someone was hurt. We went up the elevator four floors and went through a door that led to Lemmy's hallway.

Lemmy's hallway was by far the strangest, the entire hallway being a rainbow color. There were paintings of him making silly poses, most on his ball, and a few in the circus. But like the others, he had one serious painting of him. I also saw some sort of award from the circus hung up.

He took me in to his room, which was even stranger. The walls were red and white stripped, and the carpet was a bright orange_. Almost like a circus or something..._ There was his bed, which contained a teddy bear and red and white stripped sheets with a clown face in the middle. There was a dresser, a desk with lots of drawers (this seemed to be a constant), but most surprising was a tightrope set strung up in a corner, along with a trampoline.

"Hang on one sec, I'll get you your band aid," Lemmy said, rolling to the desk. As he fished through the drawers, I pondered the reason for the strangeness of his room.

"I guess you want to be in the circus...?" I thought out loud.

"Yeah, pretty much," he replied, coming back with a band aid. He bent over from his ball to place it on my bad knee.

"Thank you."

"No problem!"

"So...you do want to go to the circus?"

"Yeah..." Lemmy said, a little weaker than his usual happy self.

"Well, why do you seem upset about it?" I asked curiously.

"Well...it's nothing." His smile looked weak.

I was actually going to let it go when I remembered that sometimes people lied about their feeling. _I need to remember that stuff more…I'll ask one more time. _"Are you sure?"

He pushed his fingers together nervously. "Well…promise not to tell anyone?"

"I promise."

He sighed. "Because...no one really supports it."

"Well why not?" I frowned.

"Well, they say they want me to do something more important or something. I guess being a prince means that I have to become good at something good for a prince..."

"Like?"

"I don't know, business, artsy stuff, being pretty, smart stuff."

"Well, why can't entertaining people be on that list?" The logic of this wasn't making sense to me.

"Because it's weird to people...I'm supposed to do something more 'normal'. Apparently joining the circus is weird...the only person to support is King Dad...and he barely does. He doesn't approve completely, but he said I can do it if I really want to. But my siblings and the advisors don't..."

"Well I don't understand why you can't."

"You don't?" He looked shocked.

"Of course not! Well the way I've always known it is that if you're good at something and you like something, than that's definitely what you've got to do!" I said surely, this being the common sense I was taught.

"But I don't know if I'm any good..."

"But you walk around on a ball! That's talent right there!"

"But I don't know if I can put up a good show." He was pretty unconfident, and I came up with a way to make him feel better.

"Well, why don't you show me then?"

"Huh?"

"Well, there's circus stuff there. You can show me how good you are at it!"

He blinked. "Do you...really want to watch me? Only King Dad has watched me...and that was only a few times when I was a kid! You'd want to!"

"Sure!" I said genuinely, honestly excited to see a good show. "I'd like to see what you can do!"

"Well...okay!" He said, back to his happy self.

He rolled over to the tightrope sent and jumped up on his ball and landed on the trampoline. He then jumped way higher than I thought he could possibly do. He jumped high enough to land on the tightrope, which was set up around twelve feet off the ground, without even wobbling. _Incredible!_

"Lady and...Fawn! Welcome to the show! In comes Mr. Agility Supreme, Lemmy Koopa!" he proclaimed.

I clapped loudly at his entrance and he began to do tricks.

At first he started with just walking around the tightrope. But then he bounced off the tightrope and on to his ball effortlessly, and rolled over to the desk. He pulled out bowling pins and rolled back to the trampoline. He somehow jumped on to it with his ball, and landed on the tightrope , now balancing on a ball on a tightrope, without falling! He then proceeded to roll around on said tightrope and juggle! He stared to jump up and down on the trampoline while doing fantastic tricks. All the while I whooped in holler in pure amazement of his abilities.

He finally got off and rolled over to me. "Thank you, thank you!"

"You're incredible Lemmy!" I said enthusiastically. _This boy is unbelievable, he did things I didn't know we're possible!_

"Thanks! Now you try!" he said happily.

"Huh?"

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

He ran to the desk and fished out another ball. He gave it to me and I began to try and balance on it. I decided it was only fair to try it, and I thought it may be fun. It didn't work, and only after several failed attempts and laughter did I manage to stay on.

"You're doing it! You're doing it!" he yelled happily.

"I am! Oh my stars, I am!" I said happily, wobbling in place. Only until someone entered the room.

"Lemmy! Time for dinner!" Morton yelled as he entered the room.

I lost concentration and yelped as I fell off the ball and on to the floor.

"Ow..." I murmured, my back in pain.

"You okay?" Lemmy asked, both Koopalings rushing to me.

"Yeah you did some wicked flip! It looked really cool, but I bet it really hurt! Say, what were you doing on that ball anyway?" Morton asked.

"Lemmy was showing me how to balance on it...it was fun, and I'm okay."

"Cool! Well Lemmy, time for dinner," Morton said.

"Okay," he replied. He turned to me and said, "Bye Fawn! You're really really cool! Thanks for believing in me..."

I smiled and patted his shoulder. "No problem."

He smiled back before we left the room with Morton.

We all walked down the hallway and down the stairs, and we split paths at the entrance. Lemmy walked on to the dining room, but before Morton left, he turned and said, "Hey, Fawn! I'm definitely going to hang out with you tomorrow! We're going to talk a lot and stuff, okay?"

"Okay," I said brightly, glad that I would have something to do.

Morton turned and walked off after Lemmy and I opted to go back to my room. Once I got back, a dinner was there, provided by Jimmy. I ate it contentedly and went to sleep shortly afterward.

* * *

_"Dummy!" "Stupid!" "Are you even paying attention!?"_

_My classmates were jeering around me because I had broken their friend's glass marbles. I had picked them up absently to observe them and had dropped them by accident._

_"I uh..."_

_"So stupid!" I can't believe her!" She's gotta be the dumbest kid around!"_

_The girl who the marbles belonged to was crying. One of the classmates kicked me and I fell. I began to whimper._

_"I'm sorry..."_

_"Are all humans this dumb?" "Are they all so blind?" "So selfish?" "Pay attention!" "Stupid!"_

_My lip quivered. "I-I'm not..."_

_"Dummy!" "Stupid!" "Spacey!" "You're so dumb!"_

_"I'm not dumb! You all shut up!" I yelled as I ran away._

_I ran until I made it to the woods, where I wandered around to feel better. I wandered and daydreamed until I heard a voice._

_"Fawn! WATCH OUT!"_

_"Huh?"_

_I felt something push me down. I looked up to see Cult shielding me from a bear. The bear rose his paw to swipe at Cult's face._

_"CULT!"_

I woke up with a start. I sat upright quickly and breathed heavily.

_Dream..._

I looked around frantically for Cult and the bear, tumbling out of bed in the process.

_Dream...dream..._

I wandered in the dark aimlessly, searching less frantically now.

_Nightmare..._

I stopped in place.

_It was just a nightmare..._

I breathed heavily, trying to calm down.

_Memories...old memories..._

I sighed. They were old memories I had. Being here must've triggered them somehow. I knew going to sleep would be in vain; I was to stimulated. I considered watching TV, but I didn't want more stimulation. This was something this pink room was giving me to much of already, even in the dark. I decided I wanted to go outside. I considered my balcony, but I thought of a better place to go to.

* * *

**Bowser**

_"Ahhhhh!""Monster!""Run!"_

_The townspeople were all running away from me, terrified._

_"Wait! It's not like I'm going to hurt you!" I cried._

_"Ugly!""Evil!""What was the king thinking, bringing them here!?"_

_They all ran, terrified of me despite my young age._

_"Why...why are they all so mean to me?" I muttered, tears in my eyes. I looked up and saw a little girl crawl toward me, a pacifier in her mouth._

_I smiled. "Oh Peach...you never thought I was a monster..."_

_We suddenly grew older. "Why does everyone outside my kingdom think I'm a monster...heck, even the people inside it are scared of me too..."_

_"Because you are a monster," a new voice hissed coldly._

_I turned my head to see the new voice._

_"Cl...Clawdia..." I whispered. "Why..."_

_"Because you're a monster. You do evil things, and have a demonic power. I was terrified of you, and eventually fled. You drove me off, you fiend!" she spat vehemently._

_It stung. "You're wrong...I've got it all under control! I'm not that evil...I'm not!"_

_I turned to the grown Peach. "Tell her Peach!"_

_"Tell her what? That I agree with her?" Peach replied hurtfully, tears in her eyes._

_"P-Peach..." I began to cry too._

_"I trusted you...I was so naive to trust you...and you violated it by kidnapping me and my chances at happiness!" she said, hurt. Mario appeared and hugged her from behind._

_"No..." Sadness and rage swelled within me._

_"Why can't you let me be free?" Mario kissed her neck._

_"No!"_

_"I hate you," they both spoke coldly together._

_"NO!" I roared. Everything went red._

My body sprung forward. I breathed in and out, quick and shallow.

_It was just a dream...oh stars, it was just a dream..._

I got out of bed and forced myself to put on my shell. I knew I wouldn't sleep for a while, so I knew where I wanted to go to relax.

* * *

**Fawn**

I stumbled my way down the halls and remembered the way to the courtyard. I made my way to the obsidian benches, expecting to find solace, when I found someone else there instead.

"Bowser?" I spoke aloud. He turned his head from where he was sitting.

"Oh...hello," he greeted, equally surprised by my presence.

We both remained silent until I asked, "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer immediately, but somehow I knew what it was. "Nightmare?" I guessed.

"...Yeah. You?"

"Same..."

He nodded and turned back to the fountain. There was some sort of silent mutual understanding that we didn't want to talk about it.

I stood in front of the bench and asked, "May I sit down?"

He raised a brow. "Uh...sure."

I had realized that there were more benches to sit in. But I wanted to be next to a friend...plus he was so warm, it made it nice to sit next to him. It was why I sat closer to him during the magic show then I needed to. I took my seat and knew I was right, feeling the warmth radiate from him. It made me feel a little better. We soon paid no mind to each other, content to just sit there in each other's company.

We sat there in silence until Bowser actually made slight small talk. "Lemmy said you spent the day together."

"We did, he's a very nice boy. Very talented," I replied, both of us calm and half engaged in the conversation.

"That he is."

More silence until he spoke again. "Sorry about Roy."

"It's fine."

We didn't speak to each other again. We continued to sit with each other in content silence for quite some time.

* * *

**Well wasn't that sweet? Bowser's accepting Fawn as a friend, and they shared a peaceful, mutual moment together. And isn't Lemmy sweet? Roy...not as much ^^'**

**Again, for Roy fans, this isn't the end of his development. It isn't 'Oh Roy's an asshole in this fic. Pretty much it.' There's more. I actually like Roy, he's one of my favorite Koopalings XD just no bias allowed, I've got plans for him, and the others.**

**I'm glad it was a shorter chapter! I feel like I need those. Well, hope you enjoyed. Read, review, bye **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys! So last time we got to see Fawn talk to Roy and Lemmy. Roy was mean to her, Lemmy wasn't. Ok so now we deal with the last two: Larry and Morton. And we get another moment with Bowser. This'll be the last chapter like this.**

**Thank you to reviewers. **

**Angela: Well he is called Bully Koopa ^^' he's kind of dick, yeah. It's funny, because you wouldn't expect it from a pink guy! Get it? Ahhh Nintendo you've done it again.**

**Coooool123: Don't be scared again I like Roy so they're good plans I think XD**

**Well enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 14: Good talkers

**Fawn**

Bowser and I had stayed out for quite some time before we finally went back to our rooms. I slept much better after I saw him.

I once again awoke to the same scene as yesterday. I freshened myself up and Jimmy was at the door. He gave me food and more washed clothes. We chatted a little before we went separate ways.

I decided to continue wandering around the castle, until I came across the dining hall. There I bumped in to Larry, walking out with his shell bulging slightly. I had actually seen Larry passing by in the distance a few times before, with the same slight bulge in his shell.

"O-oh! I'm so sorry!" I apologized.

"Oh...it's alright ma'am," he said after checking himself.

I realized that I hadn't talked to Larry much, and thought I should at least try to. "So um...why are you leaving the dining hall?" I asked awkwardly, trying to start a conversation.

"Oh, why no reason. I just thought I'd ask the chefs if I could help in anyway," he said sweetly.

"Oh...well, you're very kind!" I said honestly. "But...why is your shell bulging?"

"Just curious, how knowledgeable are you on the anatomy of Dragon Koopas?"

"Um...not very..."

"Ah, that explains it. You see, when a Dragon Koopa is young, his shell occasionally begins to stretch out. You know, to accommodate whatever future size he may be," he explained. He started to seem unconfident. "It may seem slightly awkward at times...I feel like such a weirdo!"

_Oh no, my ignorance of Koopa puberty offended him!_ "N-no! You look great! Handsome! You're fine..."

"Oh, thank you so much!" he said happily. "Well I must go do my homework now! Thank you for chatting ma'am."

"Oh...okay! Bye!" I said. I saw something on the floor though, a piece of candy.

"Oh, I think you dropped this!" I called, holding up the candy.

He turned around and quickly snatched the candy. "Oh...why thank you! I don't know how I dropped it...well, I must be going!" With that he took off.

I smiled after him. _What a nice boy... _"Hey Fawn! There you are! I was looking for you!"

I turned around to see Morton walking toward me.

"Hey! I wasn't sure where you'd be so I was on my way to your room, but then I saw you here, so you saved me the time!" he greeted.

"Oh...your welcome!" I said, remembering I was to spend the day with him.

"Come on!" he said, gripping my hand and tugging me along.

His hallway had a brown carpet and white walls. There were paintings of him reading and talking, with the one serious picture up of him. I noted some sort of research award before I was pulled in to his room.

His room had a dark red carpet and dark blue walls. There were several bookcases along the walls that were packed with books and a large plasma TV that had lots of stuff next to it...they seemed to be videogames. His bed had dark red sheets on it. There was also a very large desk with papers strewn on top of it and a large living room plush chair in front of it. He led me to his bed where we both sat down.

"Wow, we have so much to talk about!" he said excitedly.

"Like what?" I asked curiously.

"Well, do you mind if I ask you questions? Since you're a human you probably have a lot of cool things to say!"

"Okay, ask."

"Um...what's your last name?"

"Forest."

"Wow, that's cool! Fawn Forest is a really awesome name! Really pretty!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Thank you..." I smiled.

"Okay, um...what's your village like?"

I explained what my village was like, which he followed by asking what my life was like. It was rather nice, as he was asking easy questions that I could keep up with and was appreciating them. Eventually I decided to ask him a question.

"Morton...you seem to like books," I observed.

"Yep! I like books and TV and games!"

"Right...how come?"

"Because you can learn a lot! I learn a lot from books, because they have so much info, like science and math and philosophy and it teaches me a lot! But then they can also have really fun characters that are really cool to think about and talk about! That's why I like TV and games. You don't learn as much, but boy are there some interesting characters!"

"I see..." I struggled for a good question. "Is that why you got a research award?"

"Yeah! I got it when my teacher asked us to do a book report on different authors. I got Koopasphere. He's really cool! He was really smart and wrote intense plays with cool characters and had great symbolism and literary devices! So I had a lot of fun researching about him and I found out where he was born, who he was writing to, the people he influenced, the people he supposedly met, the people that saw his plays, and a lot more information. And eventually I found out he wasn't real. It was just the queen of the kingdom writing under an alias. Apparently nobody had figured that out, so I got an award and some money. It was so fun!"

"Wow...that's impressive!" I said, absorbing it all. "You're incredible to find all that out on your own!"

He rubbed his neck and bashfully said, "Gosh...thanks!"

"So...what's your favorite author?"

His eyes lit up. "Well..."

He went on a long discussion on his favorite author. But it didn't end there. He managed to link other authors in to his long speech, and then different topics, all in a continuous flow of speech and knowledge. It was amazing to see his mind work like that; it was a never ending stream of consciousness.

It was very pleasant for me, as I soon realized that I didn't have to contribute to the conversation. In fact, I could listen to him talk about something interesting, drift off as I pleased, and tune back in to hear him say more interesting things. It was an easy and enjoyable conversation for me, and I didn't have to contribute at all, letting him do all the work. This worked until he suddenly stopped talking.

I looked at him to see him pouting. "I'm talking to much and boring you, aren't I?"

_Oh no I did offend him!_ "No you're not!" I said honestly.

"Yes I am, you weren't paying attention just now...it's okay, everyone's like that," he said sadly.

"Hm?" I frowned.

"Don't act surprised, everyone says I talk to much…it's no one's fault, not yours either."

"Well…what exactly do you mean?" I asked curiously.

He sighed. He seemed to pick his words carefully. "You know…it's obvious just from talking to me. People think I talk a lot so they don't like to talk to me. They don't listen. I can't help it; I have a lot to say. People also think I'm weird because of my colors."

"But those are great things about you!" I said, confused by these people he spoke of.

"They are?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes! I think your scales are pretty! Being different is a good thing, I love the color brown!"

"You do?" he said hopefully.

"Yes. And I'll admit, I did daydream..." I said guiltily. "But that doesn't mean I'm bored, or don't want to talk to you! I do that all the time...and you didn't seem to mind, so I did. But I loved hearing everything you had to say, it was all so interesting!"

"It was?" He seemed happier.

"Yes. So don't think I was bored, it was all very interesting! I don't know why one would think you're boring with all that knowledge..." A lot of things I've heard here didn't make much sense to me, actually. Why no one plays with Junior, why Iggy did his experiments and paid for things like blood, why no one supports Lemmy's skills, and why people are mean to Morton, was beyond me.

He smiled widely. "Thank you."

Not a word more was said before Bowser of all people walked in to the room.

"Hey, there you are," Bowser said to me.

"Oh, hello Bowser," I greeted nonchalantly. "I was having a conversation with Morton."

"You were?" He almost looked like he was trying not to seem worried.

"Yes, he's a very bright boy," I assured.

Bowser seemed to look relieved, but then he actually broke in to a large smile. "That he is."

"King Dad!" Morton exclaimed, rushing up to his dad. "Fawn is so cool! Her full name is so neat, it's Fawn Forest! And she's really nice, she listens to me!"

He smiled and patted his sons head. "Well, she should! You're a bright kid. Not as bright as me, but you're getting there. You're finding out some pretty neat stuff, you're pretty bright like she says."

Morton's eyes shined with pride and admiration. "I'll get there one day King Dad!"

The scene warmed my heart, and a smile crossed my face. _Bowser does seem to care about his kids…I was beginning to worry if he didn't. _But I couldn't help but ask, "Why are you here?"

He looked at me and cleared his throat. "Well, there's sort of something I need to talk to you about."

I smiled faintly. _How odd...he's never looked for me before. This should be interesting..._

"Okay," I said, getting off the bed. I walked to him and patted Morton's shoulder. "Bye Morton. Nice talking to you!"

"Get ready for dinner soon," Bowser reminded.

"Okay thanks guys!" he said eagerly.

We walked outside and shut the door.

* * *

**Bowser**

I walked along with Fawn, with me leading the way to her destination. I couldn't help but notice I was a little nervous_. Why am I nervous? This shouldn't be a problem, just say it! Who cares if she gets upset?_

Despite my usual bluntness with people, and how little I should care about matters like this, I couldn't help but small talk a little first to avoid the topic in mind for a few minutes, and maybe soften it a little.

"So...you like Morton, huh?" I asked. I also genuinely was interested in what she thought of my kids.

She nodded. "Oh yes, he's a very sweet boy. He's really smart and wants to share his knowledge. I learned a lot today!"

"Well, he's a knowledgeable kid. I think he just wants to share it a little to much and ends up running his mouth..."

"He told me about that. I don't see why people wouldn't want to learn from such a thoughtful person." She frowned.

I grinned. "Yeah, that's how I've seen it when I talk to him. Damn, that kid knows a lot for a twelve year old…" Though I hated to admit it, he probably knew a lot more than me despite his young age.

After we walked for a bit she added, "I also talked to Larry briefly. What a nice boy!"

"Well, that's what everyone says at first..." I muttered, knowing the deviousness that hid behind his sweet act.

"Hm?"

"Nothing." The boy was a good actor, and had a natural charisma to him. And he could be genuinely nice on occasion…but that boy sure did love to cheat and steal. I decided not to tell her that.

With all the chatting we finally made it to the room I had been leading her to.

"Well, I should tell you why I came to see you," I said, finally cutting to it.

"Oh? What is it?"

"I'm finally kidnapping Peach tonight. I figured she'd want her room, so you're going to have to take this guest room," I explained.

She took a second to seemingly absorb that before jumping for joy. "Yay!"

"Yay?" I raised a brow.

She calmed down and nodded. "Well...I missed Peach. So I'm excited to see her! She's my friend."

"I see..." I said, still surprised. I remembered I still had to ask how they met.

"Mmhmm. Plus..." She grew nervous. "I don't really like my room..."

"You don't?" I asked, surprised. I thought this whole time she'd be mad for making her leave it, which was why I was so nervous. Plus this new room wasn't exactly classy…

"Yes...I mean, it's to pink and bright for my tastes...not that it's a problem! I'm happy with any room, really."

I sighed. "Well you may not like this room much more."

I opened the door and let her in. It was somewhat spacious, but very Spartan. It was a guest room that no one had bothered to decorate, as was the case for all guest rooms except Peach's. The walls and floor were cobblestone. The room was torch lit with a white sheeted bed, a door to a balcony, a door to a bathroom, and a dresser.

She observed the room quickly and turned to me. "I like it."

"Oh...well okay. Glad you like it," I said, ever shocked. This seemed to be a constant with this girl. Really, like all the humans, she seemed to have a unique personality of her own, which continued to confuse me. I'd say she's rivaling my own children in quirkiness, which is _really_ saying something.

"Yeah...I'm just glad that you'll finally be able to see Peach," she said happily, as I she were happy for me.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I mean you love her and all...right?"

I was flabbergasted. She had just said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. _She knows...? She KNOWS!?_

"Wh-what are you talking about?" I asked, trying to stay calm despite my nerves acting up. I felt my face heat up. _How does she know!? No outsider has known! Not even all of my subjects have caught on!_

"I'm saying you love her. I mean it's pretty obvious..." she said, confused.

"N-no I don't! Where'd you get an idea like that!?" I denied.

"You don't? I was wrong..." She frowned. "I suppose no one really agrees with me, now that I think about it...for some reason everyone agrees that it's preposterous. But it seems so obvious! I guess I was wrong?"

"It seems...obvious?" I asked. So far, no one outside my kingdom had been able to figure that out. Only some of my subjects knew; Mario, Luigi, and nearly the entire world, including Peach herself had no idea. They thought I was just doing it for her kingdom and to be evil in general.

"Well, yeah! You always kidnap her for a kingdom, but that's not a very effective tactic. You never hurt her or anyone in the process really, despite claiming not to care. You'd probably being hurting people if you planned to conquer their kingdom. And despite losing every time with this faulty tactic, you keep trying," she explained thoughtfully. "What else could it be...are you really just trying to conquer a kingdom? If so, you're not really going about it the right way."

I was at a loss for words. "I-I uh..."

She squinted her eyes. "Wait...denial is said to be a part of love. Cult told me that...and Morton did to, when I talked to. Are you denying it?"

I stood there in a cold sweat for a while before eventually sighing in defeat. _She figured it out…I'll have to trust this girl after all... _"Okay, maybe I do..." I muttered, looking away. I was actually a little afraid of how she might react. _She'll probably do what everyone else does and call me a monster, and say I can't love, and that I'm harassing the princess like a tyrant, and-_

"Well, okay. See? It's a good thing she's coming!"

"...What?" I asked.

"I don't know why you're making this so complicated. Go get her, you love her! You've done it a million times before, I'm sure she's okay with it by now. Why wouldn't she be? You and this kingdom are great! Plus I feel like she would've escaped herself by now if she didn't…" She shrugged. "And if not, the Mario Bros. come rescue her anyway, so she should be fine for that short bit of time that she's here, in case she doesn't like it. Speaking of her caring, she knows right?"

I was so stupefied that I automatically responded "No..."

She frowned and began to stroke her chin in thought. "What? How could that be...?"

I wasn't paying attention to her now, instead paying attention to what she said. She had had a smile on her face the whole time, directed at me. Directed at a friend...not a monster.

I blinked at _her. She knows...and supports it? She figured out...no one's ever figured it out! And it's because she's..._

I observed her once more. A faint smile on her face, a friendly smile.

_Oh hell, I guess she really is my friend! And...a good one!_

I laughed despite myself. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

She frowned, but my laughter made her break in to a giggle. "Thanks I guess...but so are you!"

"Oh don't worry. You don't need to tell me twice the piece of work these are," I said playfully, flexing my biceps. I was at complete ease now, letting my true colors show.

She didn't react to my teasing like I thought she would. Instead of laughing, she stared at my muscles, which kind of confused me.

"Well yes," she finally said. "Those are huge and strong, so that's a piece of work." _She...she said they're huge and strong...um..._ I'm normally not so bashful, but that caught me by surprise, and I ended up blushing pretty strongly. And the fact that you won't tell Peach how you feel makes you a piece of work too!"

I blinked as I stopped flexing. I was so stupefied by both her comments that I could only dumbly say, "...What?"

"Well, it seems illogical to keep going this route! She doesn't know how you feel, how she doesn't I don't know, so nothing will change! So you have to tell her...don't you?"

I was struck by how fast she had come up with the logical course of action. Although I shouldn't be, it was common sense. But the idea of it had always terrified me...the idea of being rejected by one of the only people that didn't see me as a monster or a tyrant terrified me. This somehow seemed easier.

My blush returned slightly as I quickly said, "Let's not talk about this."

She frowned before shrugging. "Okay, if you say so."

An awkward silence came over us before I remembered something.

"Okay Fawn, I've got to go have dinner. I'm kidnapping Peach afterward. I'll let you settle in."

"Oh, okay. Thanks again for the new room!"

I chuckled as I began to leave. "See ya later."

"Bye Bowser!"

She seemed so happy, so at ease around me. It was all so strange...people weren't like that around me, especially not outsiders. I felt some sort of gratitude almost. Gratitude that she didn't see me as a monster. Gratitude that she saw me as a friend.

I was planning to just leave and save whatever shred of manliness and dignity I had after this, but as I left, I couldn't help but stop for a second.

"Thanks," I muttered, rushing out if the room.

* * *

**Well, Peach is gonna get thrown back in the mix. That'll mix things up...Fawn may realize something's not right...we'll see what happens! Oh and for those who couldn't tell from Fawn's POV, Larry was stealing food from the kitchen. He stuffed it in his shell and made a bs reason why his shell was stuffed to throw off Fawn, cuz she didn't know better. Oh Larry...**

**Well, thanks for reading. Please review or fav. Byee**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey! I'm back on an update roll! Lol I'm gonna try and get as many chs out before Monday. Okay, so Fawn has spent the last few days getting to know Bowser and the Koopalings. Here's basically an overview of their opinions of her**

**Ludwig: You are a classless peasant girl, if I wanted to consult with someone of your caliber, I would converse with my own family.**

**Lemmy: Wow she's so nice! She likes my circus stuff.**

**Roy: Wad a total, dumb bitch! Friggin broad**

**Iggy: Oh what a fantastic specimen! So much to offer...she even rivals me in intelligence! Oh ho, what a treat...**

**Wendy: OMS, like, what a bitch. She's totes ugly and tomboyish and mean, I like, hate her!**

**Morton: She's so smart! She listens to me and likes my scale color and we havegood conversations and she's pretty and-**

**Larry: Hah, she's dumb! I can get away with so much more now!**

**Junior: Fawn's super cool! She plays games with me, and can fight, and everything, she's awesome!**

**Bowser: Fr-friend...? Nice? I um, I think she's...yeah, friend...oh I can't even with her.**

**Long A/N lol sorry felt like doing that. Thanks TrollingForever for reviewing. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 15: Big Misunderstanding

**Cult**

We had finally done it. After all the traveling we'd done, we'd finally made it to the last world.

"Are-a you ready?" Mario asked me.

I nodded. "Hell yeah."

"Are-a you sure? This-a is the final land-a. It'll-a be tough."

"I don't care! I'm ready to rescue Fawn and kick Bowser's ass already!" I said determinedly.

Mario nodded. "Luigi, you-a ready too?"

"Y-yes-a...I'm-a ready..." Luigi stuttered, obviously terrified.

"Well-a good. Now then...let's-a go!"

On his mark we all charged in to the final world, ready to finally end this journey. _Fawn...wait a little longer. I'm coming for you!_

* * *

**Peach**

It was late at night as I stood on my balcony, feeling the gentle breeze rustle my hair and nightgown. It was late, but I still couldn't sleep. I was having one of my...guilt trips, one may say. I was feeling incredibly guilty about this whole situation.

_Oh, why did I have to bring her here? I ruined such a happy, innocent girl's life...and there's nothing I can even do to help her! Oh, why am I so useless!? Why..._

I could almost feel tears swell up. _Don't cry Peach...you have no right to. I know it...with all everyone does for me, the least I can do is stay strong._

I breathed in and closed my eyes for a while. When I opened them, I saw two giant hands outstretched toward me. He gripped my sides, and I screamed as I was hoisted in to the Clown Copter.

I continued to scream as he finally lifted me in, and we began to fly off.

I continued to scream, hoping someone would hear me, even though I knew it was pointless. Once the castle was a dot in the distance I gave up.

"Finally stopped..." Bowser grunted. I stared at him in fear and disbelief. _No…he couldn't have done it…not now!_

I looked down, my eyes beginning to water. _Oh how could I get myself kidnapped, now of all times? I'm such a failure..._ As my eyes began to tear, I shook my head as I found a way to resolute myself.

Bowser looked like he was about to speak, but I interrupted. "Will I be allowed to see Fawn?" I didn't bother pleading for him to let me go, or asking why he kidnapped me, or what he was going to do to me. It was all routine. Pathetic, crippling routine.

"Yeah," he responded.

I nodded, feeling a little relieved that there was some good in this; that I could comfort the poor girl, if nothing else.

He didn't say anything for a while, until he gruffly asked, "How are you?"

I considered responding, but found that my voice would crack if I answered. So I stayed silent. I was weak, but if nothing else, I wouldn't let him see how weak I was.

We rode in silence longer. I eventually looked up at him to see him staring at me. Or maybe at a spot around my legs or something, which were bare in my nightgown.

Once he noticed I noticed him staring, he quickly looked away. He looked a little red…was he angry?

_It's those weird things he does that makes each kidnapping scary still..._

* * *

**Fawn**

_Lady..._

My eyes slowly opened.

_Space princesses...and robots...and unicorns...and...princess...and cobblestone...and..._

I slowly sat up and yawned loudly.

_Where...am I...?_

_I drearily looked around. Room...new room..._

My mind was beginning to return to reality. _This is the room...Bowser gave me..._

I blinked. _That's right..._

After sitting for a few seconds, lost in thought, I started to get out of bed. _I should get ready..._

After I had gotten out of bed, I stumbled toward the dresser. I looked inside and registered that all my clothes were in there, washed.

I walked away to go to the bathroom. I registered that, like my room, it was all cobblestone, save for a sink, a cobblestone counter, a toilet, and a large shower. I climbed in and began to shower, still finding the hot water blissful. I began to daydream. _It feels so nice to be able to do that again...I can actually wake up normally without all those bright colors in my face._

_I saw Peach...in a dream last night...she was wearing something different though...and she looked a little different...why would I dream that? Oh wait...she's coming here!_

Remembering this, I quickened my shower. Once I was done I dried myself off with a towel I found and brushed my teeth. I quickly got dressed in my dark green clothes. _She's here! They're both back! I need to go greet them, now!_

I ran out the door and nearly ran in to Jimmy, who was carrying a plate of food.

He was startled by my presence. "Oh hey...I got you-"

I grabbed a piece of toast I saw on the plate and dashed away. "Thanks! But I've got to go! Sorry!"

I didn't see his reaction as I made my way to the hangar to see if they arrived yet. When I got there, I noticed that the opening was shut with a metal wall. _Oh, so the door can close..._

I saw a guard, the only guard, as I'd noticed there was only one guard to be stationed at the hangar, walk up to it and press some buttons on a control panel I hadn't noticed before and the metal wall rose up, allowing entry. But before he could walk inside I approached him.

_Okay Fawn, steel yourself for this. He's just a person...just a person._ _No need to be scared… _"Excuse me...s-sir?"

He turned to me and looked startled, "You the new human?"

I flinched, but forced myself to continue. "Yes that's me..."

"So that's what you look like...cool. So what do you want?

"D-do you know where Bowser and uh...Peach are?"

"Both in their rooms."

I smiled lightly. "Th-thank you!"

I ran away, wanting to get away from him and to Peach. I didn't know where Bowser's room was, but I knew Peach would be in my old room. _Oh boy, I can't wait to see her! We can catch up, and I can see how Cult is doing, and I finally thank her for everything she's done! After all, I'm pretty sure she's one of the people who brought me here!_

* * *

I knocked on her door slowly. There was a pause before a voice, most likely Peach, called, "Who is it?"

"It's Fawn," I answered.

The door was swung open by Peach almost instantly.

"Fawn!" she exclaimed, hugging me.

I smiled and hugged her back, despite being a little confused by her enthusiasm. "Well...hello Peach! I guess you missed me. I missed you too."

She nodded quickly. I feel like her eyes may've been a little wet. "Oh of course! I was so worried for you!" _Why?_ "Please come in!"

I walked in to her room with her and we sat on her bed. "Oh Fawn...are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Well of course. Why wouldn't I be?" I frowned. "What about you? You don't seem well..."

She shook her head. "I'm fine...I'm used to this. But are you sure you're okay? They didn't interrogate you...or torture you?"

I gaped at her, what she just said being completely ridiculous. "Well of course not! What makes you think that would have happened to me?"

"Well...I assumed that they kidnapped you to interrogate you on what you know...since you're a human and all."

"No...no they asked me questions, yes. But they never were mean to me..." I frowned in thought. "Besides, that's not why they kidnapped me...right?"

"What? Why did they kidnap you then?" Peach asked, confused but curious.

Now I was confused. "Wait...don't you know?"

"Um...no."

Now I was very confused. A hole was being punched in the tentative theory I had created half-thoughtfully. "Well wait...isn't this supposed to be part of that experience you promised me?"

She was still confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You said that I was to spend a day as you!" I reminded her

"...What?" she said, confused. She stopped to think about it. "Oh yes...I remember promising that. But then you were kidnapped, we never got to do that or have fun!"

Now I realized now that this whole time I may've misunderstood the situation. "Wait...isn't this all part of spending a day as you? Getting kidnapped and all?"

She seemed to be a little embarrassed when she realized what I was saying, and almost sad I'd say. "I guess it would seem like a daily routine, huh?"

My understanding of everything was crumbling. I suddenly realized that everything I knew about where I was was a lie. I realized the situation was much worse than I thought, and that struck fear in to me. "S-so you're saying...that this wasn't all prearranged by you? That this wasn't for fun? That I was...really kidnapped?"

"Oh sweetie...yes. Did you not realize this yet?" she asked, sounding both sympathetic and in disbelief of me.

"N-no...I hadn't. I thought..." I realized I didn't even know what I had thought. _What was I thinking? That this was all for fun? It just seemed so fun that I figured it had to be.._

"Oh stars, I'm so dumb!" I exclaimed. Peach patted her shoulder in sympathy.

"Oh sweetie...it's okay. I'm not sure what you believed, but I get it. This was tough for you, so you made an excuse. And no one told you any different...they probably kept you in the dark this whole time, it must've been hard."

"No!" I exclaimed. "I mean, I did believe it because I was scared...but I also believed it because I was having fun!"

She gaped at me in disbelief. "You were...having fun?"

I nodded quickly, my eyes starting to feel a little damp. I had realized not only how much of a fool I was, and what the consequences of all this could be; but I realized my friends may've been lying to me. "Yes...I was learning new stuff! And seeing new things! This place was so cool! And I made friends with people...I made friends with Jimmy, Tina, Lemmy, Morton, Iggy, Junior...and Bowser! I stopped believing that they would harm me! They were my friends..."

"You're friends with Bowser!?" she asked incredulously.

I nodded. "Yes! He was mean at first...but he got nice! And funny! And he's super cool looking and stuff, he's a Dragon Koopa! He's my friend!"

She looked down in confusion and disbelief. "How...could you...?"

I got up quickly. "I need to know what's going on...I can't mess around! I need to know why I'm really here! I'm going to talk to Bowser!"

Peach's eyes widened and she got up quickly, gripping my shoulder. "No, you can't!"

I frowned. "Why not?"

"Because he's dangerous! Who knows what would happen to you!?"

"Nothing would happen...we're friends," I said with certainty. _Why is she acting like Bowser would hurt me? _"Bowser's not dangerous...well, he is with all his power, but he wouldn't hurt me..."

She wasn't giving up. "He could! You never know with him!"

_Why is she acting like this? Doesn't she know Bowser's never hurts anyone? Not even the Toads in her kingdom are really hurt much by him, from what I've heard…_

I remembered that Bowser told me that everyone outside the kingdom, including Peach, had some poor perception of him. From the looks of it, Peach didn't know that Bowser loved her.

"Peach...why do you think that Bowser kidnaps you?" I asked carefully.

She frowned and spoke like the answer was obvious. "Well, to conquer and terrorize my kingdom! And to spite the Mario Bros.!"

I calculated that answer. _Oh...so she is completely clueless on that._ I was about to correct her and tell her the truth, but I realized I shouldn't out Bowser like that. He may not like that. So I carefully said, "Oh...okay."

There was silence until I said, "Well, I'm going now."

"No, I told you, it's dangerous!"

I took her by the shoulders and calmly said, "I'll be fine. Wait here, I'll come back for you."

"B-but..."

I turned and said, "I'll be back soon, okay?"

"W-well...if you're going, I need to come too!" she said determinedly.

I considered letting her, but realized that I wanted to confront Bowser on my own. He was my friend, I needed to speak to him alone. Plus, Peach seemed like she was only trying to be brave; Bowser still seemed to terrify her. "You wait here, I'm fine." I smiled and added, "If you're don't like him, you shouldn't have to talk to him."

She shook a little before sitting down. "Alright..." she whispered.

I walked toward the door. She almost desperately added, "Come back soon!"

I turned to smile and nod. "I will. Promise."

With that, I turned to the door to finally face my situation.

* * *

**Bowser**

I was lying down in my room, catching some much needed sleep. I decided to leave Peach alone, despite how much I wanted to talk to her. She usually didn't want to talk to me, especially right after kidnappings.

My sleep was interrupted by a knocking at my door. I groaned and ignored it, but it persisted.

"Argh...who is it!?" I groaned.

"Uh...Fawn," the voice called.

My eyes opened up, wondering what she had to say, or how she found my room. I contemplated sending her away, but I decided it was for the best to let her in. "Okay...come in."

She opened the door slowly, which was probably a little heavy for her. She observed the room briefly before shuffling to my bed where I lied.

"Hey..." she said awkwardly. I rose a brow at her sudden awkwardness, as she had seemed to have warmed up to me.

"Hello...why are you here? How'd you get here?" I asked curiously.

"Oh…a guard pointed me in your direction, after I prodded enough…" she admitted.

"Ah, okay."

"Listen...Bowser. I need to ask you something," she said seriously.

I was actually worried as to what it might be. Part of me thought she didn't like me anymore. But I didn't address that. "What?"

She sighed deeply. "Why did you kidnap me?"

My brow rose once more. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I know you technically didn't. But I know Jimmy did...so why am I here?"

I lied there, processing what she was asking, when both of my eyebrows rose. "Wait...do you not know?" I asked in disbelief.

She shook her head. "N-no...I thought I did, but now I'm not sure..."

"Well, what did you think?"

She gulped. "Before you kidnaped me...Peach said that I was to spend the day as her. It was supposed to be fun. I got kidnapped immediately after, and assumed it was because I was living like Peach...and you had all staged it for fun..."

"...What?" I choked out.

"I...sort of thought this was all for fun or something...I hadn't put much thought in to it...it just made sense, since it happened so fast! And nothing else immediately made sense!"

I continued to stare in disbelief. _She thought she was stuck here...for five nights...for fun?_ This logic was so absurd that I couldn't help but laugh.

"Wh-why are you laughing?" she asked nervously.

I continued to laugh, not answering immediately. _She thought that...that we were...fun...oh stars that's funny! This girl's crazy!_

"Because!" I choked out between breaths. "There's no way that would happen! That's hilarious!"

She frowned at me for a while before cracking a smile. "Well...I guess it was pretty silly of me to think," she admitted, chuckling. "I guess I was having fun, so I believed it was for fun..."

I stopped laughing. "You...had fun?" I asked.

She nodded. "Of course! I got to see a new world! And I got to meet a new race; Dragon Koopas! And you all are so cool, and so nice! I made friends...of course I was having fun!"

I was stunned by the idea that she had fun in my castle...I was actually somewhat elated. "Oh...cool," I said nonchalantly, shrugging it off.

"But I also believed it because I was scared at first, so I quickly picked the first explanation that popped in my mind. It made sense, and I had no reason to think about it otherwise," she said thoughtfully.

"Makes sense?" I smirked playfully.

She caught on and laughed. "Well nothing else makes sense! What else could it be?"

I thought about that, and almost laughed again when I realized the answer was more preposterous. "Well..."

"Well what? Why was I kidnapped? For information? How did you find out about me so quickly?"

"No...not for that."

"Then what?"

"You were sort of kidnapped...by mistake," I finally said. It was almost embarrassing, once I thought about how dumb this screw up was.

"...What do you mean?" She was rightfully confused.

"Well...the guy that kidnapped you was a rookie, who somehow didn't know what Peach looked like. He figured she would be the only princess in the castle...so he saw you alone, and assumed you were Peach."

"...Really? Jimmy did that?" she asked incredulously.

I assumed Jimmy was his name. "Yeah..."

She paused for a long time, processing that. Finally she muttered, "That's dumb."

I chuckled for a good while at her statement. And odd response, as expected. "Yeah...it is."

She sighed. "Well, I certainly wouldn't have believed that was the case."

I shrugged and she said, "Well...I'm glad this was just a misunderstanding."

"Yeah me too." I grinned.

"But I'm sure that my father is very worried. I thought he was okay with me getting kidnapped! So you'll understand me leaving now, right?"

My grin faded. "What?"

"Well yeah...my dad must be worried sick...and I miss him. I need to get back to him...so I'll be leaving now."

I frowned. _She's so weird..._ "No, no, you don't get it. You're kidnapped. That hadn't changed still. I can't just let you leave!"

She frowned. "Why not?"

"Because...you're kidnapped! That's how it is! It's bad reputation for me to just let you go...plus you could still be important somehow! No, you're not leaving yet." I frowned. Part of me knew I also just didn't want to see her go.

She seemed to mull this over, contemplating my words. "I...suppose that's how it is. Yes, I'm kidnapped...I guess I see why you won't just let me leave...okay. Thank you for your time then..." she muttered thoughtfully.

She turned around and began to walk toward the door. I realized I felt bad about this...that I could actually call her a friend, but I was to stubborn to let her go, even though she really wanted to. And it wasn't even because she hated me, it was because she was concerned for her family. I wanted to say something, maybe even apologize, but she beat me to it.

She turned to me and smiled faintly. "Bye Bowser...thanks for everything. I hope I see you again..."

I knew there was something cryptic about that farewell. But my mind was to jumbled and tired to process it. "Um...see you."

She turned back and left my room, leaving me to myself.

I sighed and collapsed back on to my bed. _Screw this...I'm to tired to think..._

My eyes slowly shut as I fell asleep.

"Milord!" a Koopa guard who just ran in yelled. "Mario and company are on the final land and quickly approaching the castle!"

My eyes flew back open. "WHAT!?"

* * *

**Fawn**

I walked away from his room and made my way back to Peach's. I thought on all I had learned. There was one thing left that confused me...why had Jimmy lied to me?

Coincidentally I ran in to him on the way there.

"Hey Fawn," he greeted as we passed.

I spun around and grabbed his arm. "Wait Jimmy."

He turned to face me. "Something up Fawn?"

I sighed. "Yeah...there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Okay. Well you've got to hurry, I need to get going. What is it?"

"Why didn't you tell me why I was kidnapped?" I kept the slight hurt I felt that a friend had lied to me.

His eyes widened in surprised before he sighed. "So...you found out?"

"Bowser told me..."

He rubbed his neck nervously. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you..."

"Why didn't you?"

"Well...you just seemed so happy, believing in whatever you believed in. And I guess I didn't want to let you know how stupid I am..."

I instantly forgave him. _Oh...he did it because he knew I was having fun...and he didn't want to be called dumb._ I nodded. "Okay, I understand."

"You do?" he said, surprised.

"Yes."

He sighed in relief. "Oh thank the stars..."

"The only problem is that I didn't realize how much my father would miss me, so that's why I was okay with staying here." I frowned.

He shrugged. "Well it's not like you can really do anything and see him. You're still kidnapped, Bowser probably wouldn't just let you leave...uh, sorry about that again."

"Well I mean-" I stopped myself. "Yes...yes you're right."

"W-well…I guess that I'm still grateful to you for your mistake…I got to experience a lot. So thank you," I said honestly.

He blushed. "Uh…no problem. What I said before was true; I'm glad you're here now…"

I smiled and let go of his arm. "Well...I hope I'll see you later."

He looked confused by my word choice. "Yeah...see you."

I smiled one last time before taking off again.

I did hope to see him and Bowser again...who knows when I'll see them again? After all, I will be escaping soon.

* * *

I was greeted by Peach with a bear hug when I entered her room.

"Oh thank goodness you're alright!" she exclaimed.

"I'm fine Peach, I said I'd be back soon," I assured. "By the way…I found out why I was kidnapped."

Her eyes widened. "Really? Why?"

I chuckled and said, "As it turns out, it was all a big misunderstanding! You were supposed to be kidnapped, but the guy who was supposed to kidnap you didn't know what you looked like; she just knew that you were a human girl. So he saw me first and thought I was you!"

Peach didn't seem to like this answer. "Hm…Fawn, I'm not sure if we should believe that…" she said suspiciously.

I frowned. "Why not?"

"Because, Bowser could easily be lying to you about his true motives. This seems to…well, preposterous! Why wouldn't he just let you go when he saw that you weren't Peach?"

I frowned. "I know it sounds silly, but I think it's true. I had Bowser and the person who kidnapped me say it…and they're both my friends! They wouldn't both lie!" I insisted. "Plus, he thought I was important like you did, so he thought it would be best to keep me since he had me! That's all."

She seemed to think about this before sighing. "Well…it's not like we're going to find out if it's a lie or not anytime soon. So okay, I'll believe it."

I chuckled despite myself. "You know, Bowser's not that bad. I said he wouldn't hurt me."

She pulled away and frowned. "Fawn, he kidnaps me repeatedly for corrupt and evil reasons! He is bad!"

"But..." I trailed off; deciding now was not the time to get a good word in for Bowser. "Okay. It doesn't matter because we're leaving soon."

"We are? You know when the Mario Bros. and Cult will get here?"

My eyes widened. "Cult's coming to rescue me!?"

She nodded. "Yes...he was very concerned, he didn't want to keep you waiting."

I began to grow panicked. "Oh no...I really did worry him! Oh this is awful, I've been so stupid, wasting my time here!"

Peach rubbed my shoulder sympathetically. "Oh Fawn...it's okay. There's nothing we can do anyway..."

I shook my head. "No, there is."

She frowned. "What?"

"We can escape."

Realization donned on her and her face grew more sympathetic. "Oh dear...I've tried that before, of course. There's no way out...the security is to tight."

"Well I think I found away against that," I said, confident in the plan I'd formulated.

She frowned in pity and disbelief. "B-but..."

"It's okay, I know what I'm doing," I assured. "We can't wait for the Mario Bros. We've got to leave on our own; I need to find my dad."

"But you can't..."

I suddenly felt bad for her that I was both compromising her usual routine, and I felt bad for Bowser that I was stealing her away from him. "You can stay here if you want..."

She quickly shook her head. "No! I want to leave as soon as possible!"

I smiled. "Okay, then you can escape with me."

She looked concerned. "But...can you really do it?"

I nodded. "Yep, I promise."

"W-well...what's your plan?" she asked nervously, finally getting on board somewhat.

I grinned. "Just wait in your room. I'll come pick you up by your balcony in an hour or two."

"Pick me up? In what?"

"A Clown Copter."

"What!?" she said incredulously.

"Yes, it's part of the plan. Don't worry, I'll try and get here as fast as I can. If I don't get here within three hours, I failed. It may take some time for me to gather the materials I need, so just wait here for a while. When all is said and done, I'll pick you up at some point," I explained.

"But…"

"I know it'll work," I said hopefully.

She seemed to gain some hope. "A-are...are you sure?" she asked unconfidently.

I nodded and smiled reassuringly. "Promise."

"But what if you fail?" she asked fearfully.

I hadn't thought of that. "Good question...probably not much. Like I said, I doubt Bowser would hurt me."

She didn't like that answer. "But-"

"Peach, I'm sorry, but I have to start now," I interrupted. "I'll see you soon, just hang on."

I patted her shoulder and began to walk to the door.

"Wait!" Peach called.

I turned back around to her. "What?"

"You're...different then you were before. Less shy...less worried."

I chuckled nervously, hoping I wasn't offending her in any way. "Well...you and Bowser are my friends. So I don't need to be as shy...unless I'm offending you."

She shook her head slowly. I smiled and turned back to the door. "Well...I'll be going now. Bye Peach."

"Bye..."

I finally left her room to start my plan. _Sorry Bowser...but I must leave. I need to see Cult...and Peach wants to leave too. I'm sorry I have to take her...but we have to go. Thanks for everything._

* * *

**Well, now it's going down. Fawn realizes her mistake, and has made plans to escape! Let's see how that'll go down. Also, since Peach is kind of a blank slate, personality wise, minus the idea that she's nice, I decided to diversify her a bit, since she will be a semi important character. So she sort of had an inferiority complex, which would be kinda normal in her situation.**

**Oh, and also, I wanted to tell you guys about a new fic I may do. I'm a HUGE Smash Bros. fan and am soooo excited for SSB4. Especially since Sakurai is so damn good at hyping. So I was thinking of making a fic on ssb4, and it would follow a storyline created from the trailers and pics of the day. It would be how the characters interact, and it would be satirical, showing how the fans reacted with each announcement, making lots of references. So it'd basically be Humor/Friendship/maybe Romance. I was also thinking about putting Fawn in it, as it would put in an unbiased set of eyes that don't know anything XD although I prob won't do that.**

** Let me know what you think of Peach and the story idea in the reviews (along with other stuff)! Byee **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey guys. Since I'm going to be more busy starting tomorrow, I decided to upload two chapters at the same time! Yay! Okay, so last chapter Fawn said she'd escape. Let's see how that goes**

**Coooool123: Lol sorry, this is my fault, I made it pretty unnoticeable. About Larry...check the A/N at the end of the last chapter lol**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 16: The Escape

I walked around the castle, gathering all the materials I needed. I searched around outside in the courtyard and in a few supply closets I found in the castle to find everything. I didn't need much, so it didn't take me to long.

An escape plan was something I had already began forming shortly after arriving here. Nothing to serious, really. I had created it after I had observed the castle some, and my mind was drifting for things to do. I had created a rough draft of a plan while I daydreamed, and it didn't need much improvement to turn in to a full plan.

I looked at the materials I had gathered. A sturdy piece of wood I collected from a large fallen branch I got from a tree in the courtyard, a few leaves and tiny branches, a few matches, and a jagged rock. The matches were the hardest to find. I had considered asking someone for them when I found them in a closet I was searching through in a stroke of luck. _Phase 1 complete._ Smiling, I quickly stashed the materials in a supply closet I found near the hangar. While I wandered through this castle, one of the things I noticed was that this closet was not used much, so my supplies would be safe for a short time, as I made sure no one saw me stash them. I saw a broom in said closet that I decided I would use later as well.

I quickly ran up to my room to change in to the newly washed clothes I came here in. I neatly folded the dark green clothes I had been wearing in the dresser. I felt as though if I was going to escape, I shouldn't take the clothes they made me. It felt like stealing. So donned in what I owned, I took off to commence my plan.

I quickly ran in to the closet I had stashed everything and locked the door. Wasting no time, I lit a match and threw it on the branch. I had feared that it wasn't flammable, but thankfully it caught fire. Grinning, I fed the fire with more matches and the leaves and branches I'd gathered. After I had spent some time tending to it, it was a decent size. The smoke was becoming a problem for me in the tiny closet, but it was the price to pay. Wiping the sweat off my brow, I stuffed the rock in my pocket and grabbed the broom. I opened the door and quickly swept the fire out in to the hall as quickly and neatly as I could. But at the same time, I made it look like I was feebly trying to put out the fire with a broom, in case someone should see me and asking why I was pushing a fire in to the halls. Thankfully, the flame still lived on the branch, large enough not to be put out so easily. To my delight, the broom had also caught fire. So as the fire alarm went off, I threw the broom next to it and the fire got bigger. With Phase 2 done, I began to run to the hangar to start Phase 3 of the plan.

"Um...help! There a, uh...fire! A fire! I think someone needs to do something about it...I think!" I called, my acting being very poor.

Thankfully, the guard in the hangar heeded my call and the fire alarm and ran outside. I grinned, knowing he was the only guard in the hangar.

"Ma'am, what happened!?" he asked frantically.

I tried to look scared, but I probably looked weird. "There's a fire! Um...yeah! I don't know how it got there, but I think somebody needs to deal with it...I think you! Probably you."

Thankfully he didn't catch on to my poor acting. "Right! Get to safety, I'll put it out!"

"Uh, okay…it's that way," I said, pointing down the hall. "See the glow?"

"I do!"

I wished him luck to make it more believable…although it probably made it less believable. "Well, good luck…chap? Don't get burned…that'd be bad!"

"Don't worry! I've got this!" he yelled energetically, before running off in the direction of the fire.

I grinned, also knowing there weren't any fire extinguishers close to the place I put the fire. Another thing I had noticed when I was searching the castle and completing my plan was where the extinguisher was, so I incorporated it in to the plan. It would take him a while to put out the fire.

I ran up to the control panel that operated the hangar door, which was currently open. I saw two buttons; one said 'Open' and one said 'Close'. I used my analytical skills to determine which one would open it...I didn't require much of them to determine that. I took my rock and began to hit the 'Open' button with all my might. Eventually the button was crumbled up and rendered useless. Grinning, I pressed the 'Close' button, and as expected, the opening began to close slowly. I rushed in to the hangar before it could be sealed off fully. The door finally closed, and I grinned knowing that it couldn't be opened to easily now.

I quickly went through the basket that Bowser kept his keys in and found the one that I recognized as the key to the Clown Copter Mach 20. I sighed, feeling bad about Phase 4. I took the keys and made my way to the Clown Copter. I remembered which button to press on the control panel attached to the keys to drop down the ladder from the flight I had with Bowser.

I climbed up the ladder and in to the Clown Copter. I sat at the controls and put the keys in the ignition, starting the machine up. I gulped, feeling scared about this part. I pressed the button on the keys that raised the back wall, allowing the Copter to take flight. As the wall rose slowly, I observed the controls, remembering how Bowser operated them. But while I was observing, a button caught my interest. It read 'Hood' on it in small letters.

_Hood...is that what I think it is...?_ I pressed it, and sure enough, a dome of tinted glass began to slowly cover the top of the Clown Copter, effectively hiding me from view. I grinned largely. _Perfect, this makes the plan much less risky!_ Seeing the wall was now up, I gripped the controls and remembered what I observed Bowser do on our flight.

I raised a lever ever so slightly, and as I had hoped, the Clown Copter began to hover. Grinning, I got myself to a certain height and stopped. I then used the yolk to make the machine go forward. The experience was extremely exciting for me. _I'm...I'm doing it! I'm actually flying this thing! Oh my stars this is amazing!_

I smiled happily and flied my way out of the hangar without to much difficulty. I made my way to Peach's balcony, knowing what it looked like. I began to search for it, flying around the castle as quickly as I could while being careful. I only bumped in to a few trees and a wall, and I didn't attract to much attention. Not that the people that saw me did anything. One of the things that this plan hinged on was that I knew no one would suspect what I was doing. I observed how disorganized the troops were and how normal it was for people to take out the Clown Copter, so nobody really felt alarmed by a Clown Copter taking flight. Especially since they wouldn't be able to see me with the tinted glass. But mostly, I knew no one would suspect what I was doing because everyone was sure that a kidnapped person would never be able to escape.

* * *

**Peach**

I sat on a seat on my balcony, feeling like a complete fool_. I not only let her get kidnapped, but I'm also letting her try and escape? How pathetic am I!? How could I have not found the strength to stop her? Or at least go with her...oh, how could I just sit by and let her do this, all by herself? I'm a disgrace..._

To be honest though, part of me was hoping that she really would find a way out, as I wanted to leave as soon as possible. _But that's so silly...why would I think she could? I've never found a way...there are to many guards! And Fawn is kind of...well, dim from the looks of it. She's so slow to pick up on things...she thought she was here for fun! Well, I get that she just came up with some way to make herself feel better...but she believes Bowser! She believes they're friends, and that she was brought here by mistake! Oh, what is she even doing now? I'm so scared for her...I mean, how could she possibly-_

I looked up from the floor when I heard a noise. There stood Fawn in a Clown Copter, hovering outside my balcony.

"Hello," she greeted. _...Huh? _I was speechless, so she continued. "You should get in now."

My mind couldn't fully process what was going on, but some part of it seemed to. I nodded distantly and slowly rose from my sets and climbed in, albeit with some difficulty. I looked around me and saw her closing the hood of the Clown Copter.

"Okay, let's go," she said to me.

With that, she slowly began to rise up and forward. I thought for sure someone would spot us and possibly shoot us down when we reached the wall. But we flew over it without any trouble, and before I knew it, Bowser's castle was a speck in the distance.

It was at that point that I finally found my voice. "What...just happened?"

"Oh...we escaped," Fawn explained simply.

I was stunned. "We did?"

"Yeah. We're out of their reach now; probably...even if they send Clown Copters after us, we've got a good head start. Plus we have my dad and the Mario Bros. to keep them occupied anyway."

"Oh...okay," I said, collapsing in the second chair, dumbstruck and amazed. _She...did it. She really did it...she escaped...we escaped...she's amazing._

"Hey Peach, do you have any idea which way we're supposed to go?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Escape Part 2

**Fawn**

"So...just this way right?" I asked Peach.

"Yes I think..." She sighed. "I've been kidnapped so many times, I really do remember the way..."

There was silence until she asked me, "How did you escape?"

I explained my plan.

"What a risky plan! It was smart, but it could've gone wrong!" she exclaimed, shocked.

I pouted. "But it didn't."

"But what if it did!?"

"Why would I ask what could've happened if something already?"

"Well-"

"I decided I wanted to leave, and was willing to take the risk. Although it really wasn't to high a risk," I explained.

She calmed down. "Well...I guess that I just never had your guts..."

I shrugged and we continued on.

"Hey, catch," I said, tossing her a parachute. "Just in case."

She nodded and strapped it to her back, although the idea seemed to scare her. "Where'd you find this?"

"In a compartment on this thing."

"Oh...hey how'd you even learn to fly this thing?"

I smiled at the memory. "Bowser invited me out to fly in it with him. I picked up the controls there, they were simple enough."

"But-"

"Although, I don't know everything about this machine..." I speculated, frowning. "Like why it's becoming harder and harder to control..." A beeping started ringing. "And I don't know what that is."

Peach examined the control panel and gasped. She looked at me with a frightened, pale face. "Fawn...we're out of gas..."

I frowned. "Oh...woops."

"You didn't take a Clown Copter with gas!?" she asked incredulously.

"I took the one I knew how to fly..."

"Oh stars, we're going to crash," she fretted, pacing around. "Try and make us land."

"I can't. It's to hard." Indeed, I was losing all control, and we were steadily going in to a nosedive.

"Oh STARS!" Peach shrieked.

"Sit down, I know what to do," I assured.

She did and I started looking around the control panel. _Now where is it...?_

"AHHHHH!"

_Oh, there's the eject button!_

**Bowser**

I grumbled as I stood in my battle room, waiting for Mario and his crew to come. I was very irritated, as he came much sooner then what should be possible. He was already fighting his way through the castle, on his way to the room I was in. I prepared myself for battle in this room, which was littered with traps to finally silence those pesky plumbers.

Not long after I arrived did they burst in through the door. Standing there was Mario, Luigi...and some Toad. A tall, buff Toad at that.

"Bowser..." the Toad seethed. "I'm here to kick your ass!"

"Bowser! Give us-a the princess!" Mario proclaimed.

"And Fawn, you little bastard!" the Toad yelled angrily.

I stared blankly at the Toad. _So...they're here for Fawn too. And they sent this weird Toad... _I laughed cruelly at him. "Hah! Do you two plumbers sick so much you need a Toad's help? What a joke!"

"We'll see how much of a joke I am when I've got this spear up your fat ass!" he retorted angrily.

My eyes narrowed as I began to seethe. "Oh, think you're tough, shortie? You seem to think you're different from all the other Toads! Allow me to escort you to where all the other fungus freaks belong: UNDER MY FOOT!" I roared.

"That's it! I'll kill you!" he screamed, rushing toward me with his spear drawn.

Mario and Luigi looked like they were about to either warn him or follow, but they were interrupted by a Koopa Troopa running in to the room.

"M-milord! Bowser!" he called fearfully from the other end of the room.

"WHAT!?" both the Toad and I yelled at him.

He shrunk a little, but continued his news. "I-it's Fawn...and the princess...th-there..."

Both my eyes and the Toad's widened, and we both turned to face him. "What happened to them...?" I seethed.

"What did you do to Fawn!?" the Toad yelled.

The Koopa Troopa gulped before squealing, "Th-they're gone sir!"

Everyone stood still for a good five seconds. "...What did you just say?" I said coldly.

"Where...the hell...is Fawn!?" the Toad asked the Koopa angrily.

"W-we've gotten reports that the Clown Copter Mach 20 is missing...and no one from the castle seems to have taken it..."

My eyes widened in realization. The Mach 20 was the one Fawn flew in. That one's easy to drive. And Fawn's not dumb, I knew that. And I remembered her final words to me...

_'Bye Bowser...thanks for everything. I hope I see you again...'_

I stumbled back a little. "You're...kidding me," I muttered in disbelief. "She...escaped?"

"It looks that way, milord..." the Koopa confirmed fearfully.

The Toad stood there in silence before brandishing his spear and laughing heartily. We all turned to look at him oddly.

"Hah! That's my girl!" he said merrily. "Smart as can be; I knew she'd find a way out!" He sneered at me. "A clown like you couldn't keep her here."

I snarled at him. "Why you little..."

He made a 'feh' noise and began to walk away. "Consider yourself lucky, Bowser," he spat hatefully. "If it weren't for the fact that I've got a daughter to look for, I'd kill you."

My face softened. _Wait...he's Fawn's father? _I observed their vast difference in personality…and, well, race. _That's unexpected..._

"Don't try this again. Otherwise I will kill you," he said hatefully. "You guys can duke it out here; I'm going to find Fawn."

Saying no more, he walked out of the room. Mario turned to glare at me briefly before following suit.

"Ah...w-wait-a for me!" Luigi called, running after them.

I stood there in disbelief, now alone with the Koopa. _H-how...how could she escape...?_ _This place is full-proof...it's impossible to leave...I thought..._

"What do we do now, milord?" the Koopa timidly asked.

My eyes flared. "Isn't it obvious!? Find them!"

"B-but sir...after this kidnapping, our troops were injured and scattered by Mario...we need to regroup and tend to the injured," he countered.

I was about to punch his face in for countering me, when I realized he was right. I wasn't a tyrant, as I lead people to believe.

"Fine..." I sighed, not having the energy to act to mad about it. "Collect our troops and tend to the injured."

He nodded and hurried out. I sighed and sat on the floor where I stood.

_I lost again...but not because of Mario. Because of Fawn...what an interesting girl she is. She managed to escape...damn. I wonder what she's doing now…_

* * *

**Fawn**

We stood next to the smoldering Clown Copter, narrowly escaping the machine before it crashed. Peach stood there, flabbergasted, as I surveyed the area. We were in what looked like a flat plain, and there was a town in the distance, not to far off.

I put my finger to my chin as I analyzed the situation, considering every factor and possibility. I finally clapped my hands together as I came up with the solution.

"We should run," I determined. I began to run toward the town nearby.

"What...hey! W-wait for me!" Peach called, hiking up her skirt to run after me.

* * *

We were almost to the town when I suddenly stopped in place, remembering something vital. Peach managed to catch up to me finally, now that I was still.

"What's...wrong?" she huffed out.

I turned to her slowly and said, "Peach...I just realized...I'm still supposed to be hiding."

"Huh?"

"Well I'm a human...so when they see me, then..." I began to breathe heavily, thinking of all the people clustering me already.

Peach grew nervous. "Well...actually..."

"What? Do you know a way out of this?"

She sighed. "No...when we didn't know where you were, we eventually resorted to asking people to search for you...and it helped! But because of it, the whole world knows about you."

I paled upon her words. "...Oh." I collapsed to my knees and held my head in my hands.

"Oh, Fawn..." she cooed sympathetically.

"Stop...I need to think!" I said urgently.

She granted me this silence and I racked my brain for a way out of this. _Okay, come on, think! You need to focus...what's a way to get out of this? I need to make a plan!_ I tried to relax and concentrate to make a plan, but my mind kept getting distracted by the idea of being discovered. _What's fame like? What'll the people do to me if they find me? Will they hurt me? Are they nice? How many? What races? Are they...argh, I can't focus!_

I cursed my lack of attentiveness and sat there in a whirlpool of thoughts until Peach suddenly cried out, "Rosalina!"

This caught my attention. _Rosalina? As in...the space princess, Rosalina? The human? What..._

I looked up, and indeed there was a tall human woman that matched Rosalina's description walking up to Peach. I decided I was in no position to speak, so I just observed them.

"Rosalina! Oh, it's so great to see you!" Peach greeted happily, surprised by her presence.

"Oh, it's great to see you too, Peach," she said kindly, equally surprised.

"What are you doing here? Is it your vacation time?" _Why is Peach asking first? I think she's a little to friendly for her own good…_

Rosalina smiled and said, "Yes, it's that time of year again. When I come down to live on the ground for a few days. It was very nice, I decided to stay in that town since I found out you were a little...preoccupied. Speaking of which, what are you doing here? Did Mario rescue you already?"

Peach chuckled and said, "No, actually. Another friend who was kidnapped with me broke me out." She gestured toward me.

Rosalina finally turned to me and a look of surprise crossed her face. However, I could only describe it as...a different kind of surprise then one would suspect.

"Oh...why, who are you? Another human?" she asked with only faint surprise.

Surprisingly, I was not nervous toward this woman. No, in fact I was curious. When our eyes met it was like déjà vu of when I met Bowser. Seeing this woman also gave me a sense of déjà vu, like we'd met...

"Um...hello," I said distantly, getting up. "I'm Fawn..."

She walked toward me and held out her hand. "I'm Rosalina, pleasure to meet you."

I took her hand absently. "Have we...met?"

"Why, no. I think I'd remember a human girl," she said, with that same sense of 'different' surprise. "You must be the one everyone is talking about! You broke Peach out?"

"Oh...yeah..." I suddenly realized that I didn't know this girl and that I was acting weird around her. But I didn't even have time to be nervous before she responded.

"You're amazing and kind if you can break out Peach. So let's be friends," she assured, squeezing my hand.

I blinked. _She...already wants to be my friend? Wow...that was fast. I'm not sure how to treat her!_ Of course I was still glad.

"Um...okay," I said, smiling faintly.

She let go of my hand and turned to Peach. "Now you'll have to explain who she is and why you're out here."

Peach sighed. "Do you mind if I give you the short story first?"

"For now," Rosalina said sternly.

"Okay," Peach said, chuckling. "Long story short, she's a new human girl, we both got kidnapped by Bowser, and she busted both of us out."

Rosalina's eyebrows rise slightly as she turned to me. "I didn't know you were kidnapped too, Fawn! You broke yourself and Peach out from the inside? How impressive!"

Peach sighed. "Yes, she's really impressive..." _Did she seem sad?_

Rosalina seemed to know why, as she gripped Peach's hand reassuringly. I was going to ask, but Rosalina asked, "Why are you both here?"

"Well...we sort of stole a Clown Copter and crashed nearby," Peach explained.

Rosalina grew a stern face. "Now that wasn't very safe of you two!"

"S-sorry ma'am..." I said softly.

Peach chuckled nervously. "Yes, well, you do what you have to do I guess!"

Rosalina sighed in a good natured way. "And here I was, just out for an ordinary walk with my Luma's, when this happens! Well, I'm happy to help you both in a time of need."

"You will? Oh thank you!" Peach thanked happily.

"Thanks ma'am..." I added.

Rosalina and called out. "Puma! Ruma!"

On her call, two star like figures came rushing to her from somewhere on the plain at fast speed. One was red and one was black. _Oh my stars...they're stars! Rosalina really has stars, like people say!_

"I'm sorry to interrupt play time," Rosalina apologized to them. "But mama needs help to help Peach and her friend, Fawn. Would you mind helping us all out?"

The two star figures nodded, as I observed them with great interest.

"Thank you so much. Okay Ruma, you keep going along the path to Bowser's castle and look for Mario. Tell him where we are. Okay?"

At her command, the red one flew off in the direction we'd came in. _It's so fast!_

I began to observe the remaining one with intensity. _What makes it red? Is it an actual star? Why is it moving then? Maybe a mad scientist brought a star to life... Why are they with Rosalina? Is Rosalina the mad scientist? Is it hot like a star?_

My mind was racing as I reached out to the living star.

"Puma, you go to the Mushroom Kingdom and tell them to bring a few carriages for everyone."

The star nodded and zoomed off, just eluding my grasp. "Aw..." I ended up saying in disappointment.

Rosalina smiled and said, "Don't worry, you'll see them again. I suppose we should wait out here though, as the town may be a little to eager to meet you two."

I smiled in relief, glad that she caught on. "Thank you...I agree."

She smiled before turning to Peach. "Sound like a plan?"

Peach nodded. "Yes, thank you."

Rosalina smiled and said, "Well, let's look for a nice tree to rest under until they arrive."

"Right!" Peach said cheerily.

They began to walk off in search of a tree. I followed, trailing behind slightly.

_I've...never met her?_

**END OF ARC 1: THE PEOPLE WE MEET**

* * *

**Well she escaped successfully. So, another important character alert? Maybe a little...lol, hope you liked it! From now on, I may update less. I dunno. I'm gonna go for at least once a week. Well, read, review, fav. I'm open to all questions/suggestions/requests/criticisms! lol byee**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey. So, as I said, I update less frequently. But, as promised, I updated within a week! But, unfortunately, it's a small chapter. But that's not so bad! You see, the way I've been updating is I update one chapter once I've finished the chapter after it. So eg I've got ch 19 finished now. This way I can schedule updates better. Plus, now if you see that I took a long time to update a small chapter, it prob means a big one's coming up next (as is the case for now) and vice versa is true. Well, this chapter's a little more...awkward. Lol enjoy XD**

**On another note, thank you TrollingForever, Angela, and new reviewer Rubi Yuki for reviewing! Since it's been awhile, Fawn?**

**Fawn: Right...aLilBoredKid8 doesn't own anything except for the previously mentioned OCs...Nintendo owns the Mario world and characters...**

**Cult: Ugh...you know, it's not like anyone cares. I mean really, what's going to happen if, stars forbid, we forget to put a disclaimer, or point out what characters aLilBoredKid8 owns?**

**Fawn: I dunno...maybe Miyamoto reads fanfiction for ideas and will copyright the characters...**

**Cult: What!? NOBODY plagiarizes my daughter! You hear that Miyamoto!? Fawn belongs to us!**

***one year later at E3***

**Miyamoto: For this new game, we've decided to bring in another fun character! Introducing...Fawn(TM)!**

**Cult: DAMN IT, THAT'S CHEATING!**

**Fawn: Oh...in case you were wondering, aLilBoredKid8 doesn't own Miyamoto...I think Nintendo owns him too...**

* * *

**ARC 2: THE BONDS WE FORM**

Chapter 18: The Talk

**Fawn**

It had been about a month since Peach and I had escaped Bowser's castle. Everyone was nice and helped get me back to my village without anyone noticing. So despite apparently being highly talked about in the outside world, no one knew where I lived. Thus, I was safe from this 'paparazzi'.

I was sad because I hadn't seen any of them for a while...they were sort of my best friends, now that I think about it. Coming back here after making so many wonderful friends reminded me that I wasn't quite as good friends with the people in the village. But I wasn't to bad, as Peach promises me that she was holding some sports tournament soon...

_Her..._

I slowly rose up.

_I know who they are..._

I yawned loudly and observed my surroundings.

_I've seen them...I know it..._

I got out of bed and wandered in to the bathroom, discarding my pajamas.

The stirring to leave the village that I had inside me before was gone now. Or at least, it wasn't the same. Now I just wanted to leave the village to see my friends.

But strange enough, my dreams had started again. The weird ones where I see those people...the ones I'm sure that I know. I stopped dreaming about the dragon, but I still dream about that couple and the Peach look alike. It continued to baffle me as to what these dreams meant, so I tried to follow Cult's advice and not think to hard about it.

I climbed in to the shower and began to daydream. It felt as though there was something important that I was forgetting...

_Sports..._

That felt closer.

_Sports...tournament...day...today. Today...today? Today!?_

My eyes opened wide when I realized that the sports tournament Peach told me to remember was today.

I washed quickly and ran out of the shower to change. I didn't pay much attention to what I wore, as Peach told me she would give me some clothes to wear.

I rushed outside to the kitchen to see Cult making breakfast.

He smirked. "Someone realize what today was?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yep. It'll be fun to see everyone again."

Cult nodded, albeit a little solemnly. "Yeah...it'll be fun to see Peach and the others again."

"Oh yes! And Bowser too; I even hear all his kids are coming! This'll be a lot of fun!"

Cult sighed. I wondered why he was acting like this, so solemn on such a good day…but then I remembered he didn't like Bowser. When I told him I had a lot of fun there, for some reason he got worried. He was odd in his opinion of Bowser. He disliked him like everyone else, and thought he was evil. But unlike others, he knew Bowser was in love with Peach. Although he said it wasn't love...he said it was something 'different', and left it at that.

"Dad...why are you afraid of me hanging out with Bowser? And what do you mean when you think Bowser doesn't love Peach in the way I think he does?"

"Erm...well, uh," he stuttered. He sighed and said, "Oh screw it, you just turned twenty one last week! I can't avoid this any longer..."

I frowned. "What are you avoiding?"

He groaned. "The uh...the 'talk'."

"The 'talk'?" I asked curiously. "Well...we're talking now aren't we?"

He chuckled. "No, this is a talk that all parents need to have with their kids at some point. But I've sort of been avoiding it because you didn't seem to need it...and it's sort of an awkward talk..."

I frowned. "If it's awkward, why talk about it?"

"Cuz it's necessary."

"Wow...okay," I said, curiosity peaked.

He sighed. "Well...okay Fawn. You remember what sex is, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. That's when a man and a woman get together, and the man puts his-"

"Alright, alright, we don't need to get descriptive," Cult interrupted, waving his hands. "And I told you how people especially want to do it with people that they love, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. You said it was sort of like a step up from kissing."

"Yeah, more or less. But that's not all I told you though, is it?"

"You also said that sometimes people do it when they just find each other attractive. You said they get an urge...similar to hunger, almost," I remembered. "But you said that wasn't a good reason to do it."

He nodded. "Yes, people get the desire to do it with people that they think are pretty. But you shouldn't give in to the urge until you've gotten to know and like each other. Just because it's not polite to try and do that, show's bad moral. And also there are consequences. It isn't good to go making babies you can't look after…"

"It's like resisting a really good desert that you know will make you fat if you eat it," I observed.

He chuckled. "Kinda, yeah."

"So what was the point in all this?" I asked, frowning. "We just went over stuff I know."

Cult sighed and said, "Yeah, now we get to the point. Fawn...you're an attractive girl."

"...What?"

He seemed awkward about this. "You're a very pretty girl...as pretty as Peach, and Daisy, and Rosalina."

I felt shocked. "But they're gorgeous!"

He chuckled. "Well...okay, maybe you're not quite as pretty, but it's only cuz they've get really fancy clothes and have makeup and are really clean. If you had the same treatment as them, you'd be just as pretty. And you're still beautiful!"

"Oh...so I'm pretty then?"

"Yes."

"Okay...thank you," I said, happy to receive the compliment. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well...it means boys will have that desire around you now."

"...What?" I asked, confused.

"Boys will want to have sex with you, Fawn," Cult awkwardly explained.

I frowned. "...Really?"

"Yes...not all of them, as some may just not find you pretty. But a good amount. A good amount of them will feel that desire."

"Oh...wow..." I said, not sure how to feel. I had speculated what it would be like if boys felt like that around me, but I never thought I was actually pretty. _It kind of changes the way I think of boys...well wait, no it doesn't._

"Why does it matter?" I asked. "If I don't have that desire back, then there's no problem, right? And even if I did, which I haven't, then I can just resist it."

"Well...the problem is, some guys push it on girls."

I frowned. "They do?"

"Yes...they pressure them in to it...find ways to trick them in to doing it. They do things like make them think they're in love, threaten them and say they'll hurt them if they don't, or worse..."

I gulped, as that seemed horrible already. "What can be worse than that?"

He sighed. "Well...there's rape. Sometimes a guy or girl outright over powers someone and forces the person to do it with them. That's called rape, and it's awful."

I sat there, flabbergasted. _There are people in the world that do that? That's...that's awful!_

"I'm warning you so that you'll be careful around guys, because they can end up doing that. I'm also warning you cuz...well...it's part of the reason why I told you to be careful how guys see you."

"Okay...thank you..." I said, stunned that this was something I had to deal with. _Well...at least I finally know why I'm supposed to cover myself around them. Personal space alone did seem weird…_

He sighed. "Also...this is just a thought...but sometimes I wonder if Bowser has that desire toward you."

My eyes widened. "What!?" I said, appalled.

He held up his hands in peace. "I'm just saying that he obviously has a thing for Peach, so he may have a thing for you. It's just something to watch out for."

"But...Bowser's my friend! Even if he did feel that way, which he wouldn't, because he loves Peach, he wouldn't try anything!" I insisted.

He sighed. "All I'm saying is be careful...sometimes they look like they're your friends."

"...Okay. Thank you..." I finally said. I thought about it, and personally decided that Bowser was completely innocent.

"So...nothing's happened yet with him, right? He didn't try anything?" he asked. "Remember, sometimes they don't just come out with it. Sometimes they try and trick you, act overly nice. Or they're really touchy, and will try and touch you when they don't need to."

"No," I said surely. Or at least I was sure until I remembered what Roy did.

_He touched me a lot...and he was talking in the weird way Cult said guys would...and he said 'get with him'. Did he mean...?_ I realized what he meant. _Oh Stars!_

I was about to mention it, but decided against it. I didn't want to give Bowser a bad name; he was already bad in Cult's book. _I-I guess Cult was right…and that it really may be a problem after all…_

"Alright, good," he said. He smiled. "Glad to hear it."

A knock at our door interrupted this awkward talk. "I'll get it," I said quickly, wanting to get away from this conversation.

Standing at the door when I opened it was Peach.

"Fawn!" she said happily, hugging me.

"Hello Peach!" I greeted, equally cheery.

Cult walked to my side and inclined his head in respect. "Princess."

She curtsied in reply. "Hello Cult." She cleared her throat and said, "Well, we have a carriage waiting outside the gate. Don't worry, it's well guarded, so no one will get to you, Fawn."

I smiled in relief. "That's good."

Peach squealed in delight and said, "Oh this'll be so much fun! Come on now, we have to hurry!"

We nodded. "Right." Cult added, "Thanks for having us."

"My pleasure! You're my friend now, so you should come to these things now," she said sweetly. "And everyone's so excited to meet you!"

I chuckled nervously in reply to that. I was still nervous about meeting new people. Of course there was the possibility that I'd make new friends; but as I've experienced, there's the equal possibility that I'll make an enemy.

We walked out of the village, saying goodbye to many people on the way there, and in to the pink carriage at the village gates.

_I wonder if Bowser's like what Cult said...I don't think so, but I should ask to be safe._

* * *

**Oh Fawn. Still figuring out how the world works and experiencing the awkwardness of your teen years in your 20s ^^' well, we'll see the whole gang next chapter! Including Bowser XD wonder how he'll react to Fawn's escape, since they haven't met since. Well, look forward to it! Hope you enjoyed. Read, review, fav, byee**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hey. Still made the deadline! As promised, it's a long one. 8k+ words ahhh. Enjoy!**

**Thank you WhiteasSnowyhills for reviewing!**

* * *

Chapter 19: Sports tourney

**Fawn**

We arrived at Mushroom Castle, where I was quickly rushed in to avoid a swarm of people wanting to meet me. There was even a group of guards to keep them away. The situation was terrifying; I didn't need to be told twice to get out of there.

Once I got in, I let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry about that..." Peach said sympathetically, patting me shoulder.

"It's alright..." I said, inhaling deeply.

She smiled before grabbing my and Cult's hands. "Come on, everyone's waiting! Let's get going!"

I grinned, eager to see Rosalina, Bowser, and all his kids. In fact, I was so excited that the fact that I'd escaped and they may've been angry with me didn't cross my mind yet.

* * *

We entered the meeting room where everyone one waited and I tried to identify them all. I saw Mario; Luigi; Rosalina; a girl that was almost definitely Daisy, considering how she's been described…and the fact that she's human; a Yoshi, who was probably 'the Yoshi'; a fat man with a purple nose, dressed in yellow…most likely Wario, considering he's human; a tall, lanky man with a face akin to a rat, dressed in purple…most likely Waluigi; and a Toad, most likely 'the Toad'. My eyes rested on Bowser and his family, all present.

"Fawn!" Bowser Junior squealed happily, rushing towards me. He tackled my legs, almost making me fall.

I still didn't remember that I'd ran away from them, as he seemed to as well. I chuckled and said, "Hey Junior! How are you?"

He moved back and happily said, "Good! We're going to cream the stupid Mushroom team! To bad you're not on our team!" He stuck his tongue out at me.

I laughed and said, "Well, you don't know that! I bet we'll do well..."

"U-um..." I heard someone stutter. I didn't pay much attention to whoever it was.

"Oh my gosh! How have you been? Anything interesting happen lately? Learn anything new? I'd love to hear! I learned a lot of stuff while you were gone that I'd love to share!" Morton said rapidly.

"I'd love to talk, if there's time," I assured.

"Ah, Fawn. Everything consistent? No changes to report?" Iggy asked curiously.

"No sir."

"Well, glad to hear that...I guess!" Lemmy said happily. "Can't wait to play against you; this'll be so much fun! I bet you're super good!"

I chuckled, noting that there were probably a few games I wouldn't know. "Well...I doubt I'll be that good."

"Uh…" I turned my head toward the direction of the gruff voice; Bowser. "Hey Fawn."

I smiled largely, happy to see my friend. "Hello Bowser!" I greeted happily.

"Ahem!"

I started paying attention to the other side finally. Everyone was looking at me and Bowser's family quizzically. I remembered that I wasn't on Bowser's team...and that my friendship with Bowser was frowned upon.

"Um...hello," I greeted awkwardly to all the others.

Thank goodness someone broke the silence quickly. "Hey there! You must be Fawn!" Daisy greeted energetically.

"Um...he-hello," I greeted shyly.

She laughed. "Well, Peach said you may be shy. No biggie! I'm good with shy; I'm with this lug right here, aren't I?" He slapped Luigi's shoulder, somewhat hardly from the sound of it.

"D-Daisy..." Luigi muttered, blushing and rubbing his shoulder. He nodded to me and said, "H-hello..."

"H-hi..."

"Hah! You two should be friends!" she said jokingly.

I chuckled a little at her joke, noticing the similarities and humor.

"Well, good to have another human girl in board! Always fun to get more!" she says cheerily, holding out her hand.

I took it gingerly. "U-um...yes..."

She squeezed my hand harder than I thought she could. _I hear she's been called 'Warrior Princess'..._

"Well, anyone else going to talk to her, or are you all going to stay strangers?" Daisy asked her group.

Toad chuckled and walked up to me, holding his small hand up toward me. "I'm Toad! ...Or that's what everyone calls me. Nice to meet you."

He had an air of niceness around him. "H-hello..."

"Yoshi!" Yoshi said happily, walking up to me.

I didn't know how I was how to greet him, since he spoke...um...Yoshi. "Um...hello?" He didn't respond right away. "...Yoshi?" I tried.

Rosalina laughed and held her hand out to me in greeting. "Don't worry, he can understand you. He just can't speak our language. Nice to see you again, by the way."

"Nice to see you too," I said kindly, shaking her hand.

The fat yellow man walked up to me and scrutinized me. I noticed that he smelled terrible. "Nyegh…I'm Wario. You should know!"

I was a little frightened by this man. I tried to remember my manners and stretched out my hand in greeting. "Um…Fawn. I'm Fawn."

"I know that!" he said rudely, crushing my hand in his. Not only did it hurt slightly, but it was disgustingly greasy. _Guess the rumors about him are true…_

The tall purple man walked up to me as well. "Hello, _darling," _he said exaggeratedly. "I'm Waluigi. I'm sure you've heard of me."

I tried to recollect what I knew of him, but I was blanking out under the pressure. "Um…"

"Oh…surely you've heard of me," he said, sweeping down to kiss my hand. I shivered, feeling very uncomfortable. Cult's talk flashed through my mind, I realized what he was.

"You're a pervert, aren't you?" I asked.

Everyone chuckled a little, especially Wario and Bowser's family. Waluigi's eyes flashed angrily as he threw my hand away. "Shut up, I am not!"

I frowned. _Was I wrong?_

"Well then!" Peach intervened, stifling a laugh. "Now that we're all acquainted, why don't we get started?"

Everyone cheered, and started throwing commentary around. I, on the other hand, noticed a problem. "Wait..."

"What is it, Fawn?" Peach asked.

"Aren't the teams unfair?" I asked.

"Hm? Why?"

"Well...there are nine of them and eleven of us..." I observed aloud.

Peach considered this. "Oh...I suppose you're right. I hadn't really thought about that."

"So…doesn't that mean that one of our team has to go to there's?"

Everyone grew deathly silence. I didn't know that it was an awkward silence, instead identifying it as a thoughtful silence. "Who will go to their team?"

Nobody responded, with Cult eventually muttering, "It's probably better like this…"

"Humph. We'll beat you guys even with less people, easy!" Bowser proclaimed, laughing evilly. It felt weird to hear him laugh like that.

I frowned and said, "I don't think that's fair…someone needs to, otherwise it's not a professional game." I turned to everyone on my team. "Anyone?"

"No, none of us-a would ever work-a with him," Mario seethed.

"Easy Mario…these are supposed to be friendly, remember?" Peach soothed.

I shrugged, remembering everyone's animosity. "Okay, I'd be more than happy to myself." To be honest, I actually preferred this.

"Um…what?" I heard Bowser say.

I smiled at him. "Of course, I'd love to be on your team."

Junior, Morton, and Lemmy immediately lit up. "That sounds great!" they all said, proceeding to plead with their dad.

"Well, uh…" he stuttered.

"Listen…I know I'm not very good. But the teams need to be even, and I'd love to be a part of your team!"

"You…want to join me?"

"Well, sure. We're friends, aren't we?" I said cheerfully.

Something crossed his face, but I couldn't quite tell what it was.

Bowser looked like he was about to say something, but Cult dragged me away by the arm. He took me to the other side of the room and looked at me sternly. "What do you think you're doing?" he said softly.

Peach joined him by his side. "Yeah...do you think this is alright.

I frowned in slight annoyance. "You know, if he's this bad, why would you invite him to play with us?"

Peach scratched her cheek. "Well...it's sort of an old tradition..."

I continued to frown. "Well, he never does anything. Why would he start now?"

"Well-"

Cult was interrupted by Rosalina, now joining the conversation. She chuckled and said, "Cult, as I said, she's a big girl. She can make her own friends now. And besides, I bet if Bowser just had a friend, he'd be nicer! He seems to respond well to Fawn."

Cult looked away from her to observe me. He was observing me very oddly, almost as though he were realizing something. "I suppose she's right...you're a big girl, you can make your own decisions. If you think this is the right one..."

I nodded assuredly. "Yes."

He sighed. "Okay."

I immediately brightened and stooped to hug him. "Oh thank you!" I exclaimed.

He hugged back and whispered, "Damn, they grow..."

Peach sighed and said, "If that's what you want..." She quickly clapped her hands and brightened her tone, now addressing everyone. "Okay! So, let's begin!" She gestured toward the exit to the meeting room. "Follow me in your teams to the front, everyone!"

Everyone began to follow her out the room.

"Let's go Bowser!" I said, turning to him. However, I stopped when I noticed that he seemed upset about something.

"Yeah...can you hold on one second?"

* * *

**Bowser**

"Yeah...can you hold on one second?" I asked, stopping her.

I was a little upset, as I didn't need to hear her conversation to know that Peach and Cult disapproved of her being in my team.

But what bothered me most was how cheerful she was, despite that she ran away. She was acting like everything was normal...like everything was fine! But it wasn't, was it?

I guess I knew that I was at fault, keeping her captive and all...but not only was my pride hurt, but the Clown Copter Mach 20 was destroyed, and I was at least pissed at that!

...And maybe I was a little worried about what she thought of me, if she still was my...friend. The word still felt weird to use.

"Oh...what's wrong?" she asked concernedly.

"What's wrong?" I asked, somewhat incredulously. _How is she just ignoring it?_ "What's wrong with _you_?"

"Hm?"

"You escaped from me!"

She looked at me, almost as if thinking, before her mouth made a 'o' in realization. She began to grow nervous. "Um...I had forgotten about that..."

I gaped. "...That's why you haven't addressed it? You forgot?"

"Um...yeah."

"How do you forget about something like that!?"

"I-I'm sorry...I just was so excited to see you and your family..."

I calmed down and raised my eyebrows. "You're...excited? You want to be on my team?"

She looked at me quizzically. "Well, yeah. You're my friend and I haven't seen you for a month!"

A feeling of relief washed over me. _She...still considers me her friend._ I realized this whole time that I was really just worried that my first friend in a long time escaped because she'd stopped considering me that.

"But um...I'm sorry that I destroyed your Clown Copter..." she said ruefully.

"I uh..." I stammered. To be honest, I felt like I should be getting mad, but I didn't feel like it to be honest.

I sighed. "No, I'm sorry, and I missed you so..." I felt incredibly sappy saying all this. _This girl's ridiculous…_ But then she beamed and walked up to me and did something very unexpected. She wrapped her arms around my shell, as much as she could reach, in a hug. I looked down at her in shock, her head stretched back awkwardly to avoid pressing itself against my carapace. My face flushed at her actions. _Wh-what is she doing!?_

She pulled away quickly, and rubbed her head. To my misfortune, she must've seen my red face, as she quickly grew nervous.

"I-I'm sorry!" she said quickly, possibly mistaking my redness for anger. "My dad said that if I did something wrong to somebody, I should hug them and say sorry...I just remembered he'd told me that a long time ago, so I thought it'd be appropriate."

I continued to gape at her, hoping my blush was fading. "Did your dad tell you to do that when you were five?"

She looked puzzled. "Why yes...how'd you know?"

I only stared on for a second longer before sighing. _Geez, her social skills suck even worse then mine._ "Just a hunch..." I paused to rub my neck awkwardly, not sure what to say next.

The bad part was I knew what I wanted to say next; I was just to scared and conflicted to say it. I was thinking of just leaving now, but then I thought about how we might be playing sports with this hanging over us. We wouldn't be playing as friends. That compelled me to just say it. "Um...it's okay. I forgive you…"

She beamed at my words and practically jumped. "Oh thank you so much! Now...let's get going!" She quickly ran out the door.

I stared after her, slightly dazed, before snapping to. "Uh...hey wait!"

* * *

**Fawn**

We all followed Peach in to a carriage, where we were transported to some sort of race track. "Okay!" Peach projected cheerfully. "The first game we agreed upon is...racing!"

I grinned in excitement_. Wow, racing? I've only rode a kart a few times!_ I was very excited to get behind the controls of another kart.

"Okay, it'll be team Darkland versus team Mushroom. It'll be a rather large race, with twenty people...but Mushroom circuit is big enough! So let's do this!" Peach said cheerily.

The Mushroom team cheered, while the Darkland team booed them. I shrugged, deciding it was best to let them do what they felt like.

Peach cleared her throat to silence everyone. "Your karts are in the garage. We can also change there too, if we want."

Peach turned to me and smiled, saying, "I actually picked out an outfit for you, Fawn."

I rose my eyebrows in surprise. "For...me?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I just thought it'd be cute if you were in a sports outfit like Daisy, Rosalina, and I. What do you say?"

I blinked. _They went through the effort of making sportswear...just for me? Just so I could be matching with them..._ I smiled brightly. "Thank you."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay everyone, follow me to the garage!"

She took us around the side of the track and took us to a simple structure near what I assumed to be the garage.

She led us inside, and it appeared to be a simple hangar with a bunch of karts and bikes lying around.

"Okay guys, here are your vehicles. Feel free to make any preparations you see fit before we start." She turned to me, Daisy, and Rosalina. "Come on girls, I'll show you the changing room."

She led us to a little door that led to a spacious women's bathroom. On the wall hung four clothes bags.

"Okay, they're in those," Peach said, gesturing to the bags.

She walked up to them and started handing them to us. "Here's mine, Daisy, Rosalina, and Fawns," she said, giving them to us respectively. I took mine and held it carefully.

Peach smiled at me. "I remember your favorite color is brown. So I hope you like it!"

I smiled and nodded. "I will."

"Okay, change in the stall," she said, gesturing to a stall.

I nodded, and we each went in to a separate stall to change. I locked to door and carefully pulled the clothes out. I began to carefully inspect the new clothing, which was a tank top and short shorts. They were brown, with a Tanooki leaf brooch on the chest. They seemed comfortable, easy to play in...and kind of cute, actually, which I usually didn't care about. Plus the idea that she had gone through so much planning in to it, all so I'd match to, made me feel very...happy. I changed in to the new clothing, which felt comfortable and easy to play in.

I stepped outside, to see the other three standing there in similar attire. The only difference was the color and brooch.

Peach turned to me and beamed. "Oh, you look great! I wasn't sure what to think of when you said brown was your favorite color, but it looks great on you! Also, I thought it'd be neat to add the brooch since your forest is Tanooki forest. Do you like it?"

_So...she did put a lot of thought in to it. _I beamed at the kind act.

Daisy whistled at me. "Damn girl! You look great!"

Rosalina smiled and added, "You look stunning, I'm sure you'll do great."

I was grinning at their kind words, and felt a little overwhelmed by their kindness. "Th-thank you..."

Peach smiled once more before Rosalina reminded us it was time we got back. So we walked back out in to the hangar to greet the others.

* * *

**Bowser**

_Hah...I'm ready to annihilate these losers._ I patted the side of my kart in satisfaction, finishing my inspection. _I've been waiting for a while...how long are they going to take?_

As if on cue, the four girls walked out of the bathroom, all clad in their sportswear. My eyes instantly zoned in on Peach, reveling in one of the few times she was in anything other than her gigantic dress. Don't get me wrong, the dress looks great on her and all. But it was nice to see her a little more...exposed. I observed her exposed skin, pale and beautiful, her toned legs, her breasts that were never visible with that damn dress, and-

"Bowser? What are you staring at?"

I tore away to look down at the voice. It was Fawn, who had walked up to me in my trance like state. My face heated up a little.

"Uh...what do you mean!?" I said, hopefully not to nervously.

She frowned before her face dawned in realization. "Oh...you were staring at Peach, weren't you?"

My face was only barely heated up before, now I was sure I was blushing. I looked around quickly to see if anyone heard. Thankfully, she had enough sense to speak in a whisper, so no one heard her. I sighed in relief, and looked away until my blush subsided.

"Humph...it's not like I'm that crazy for her..." I muttered, clearly lying.

She actually giggled, which pissed me off a little, but not as much as I thought it would. "Uh...that's denial again, isn't it?"

I growled softly, but not menacingly. She laughed in response. "Okay, I guess I understand if you're embarrassed. I'll go pick out a kart now."

I heard her leave and I sighed, finally turning back on her leaving form. But when I looked at her, I noticed something was...different.

"Fawn!" I heard Cult greet Fawn happily. "You look great in those clothes."

She smiled at him, and I think I was beginning to notice what was different. "Thank you dad."

"Hey Fawn!" I heard Daisy greet Fawn enthusiastically. "Need any help picking out a kart?"

Rosalina joined in, adding her input. "Well, you don't have much choice, unfortunately. There's only a standard bike and kart left, one for you and one for Cult."

"And I call the kart," Cult said teasingly.

"Hm...hope you're okay with it. Bikes can be pretty hard to control..." Daisy murmured.

Fawn shrugged, and said, "I'm fine with it actually...I think I may prefer it."

"Really?"

"Yes. Maybe there'll be more room for flexibility...which will mean more flexibility for a game plan, maybe."

"Hah! My game plan is to get in a kart and ram and nail the bejesus out everyone!" Daisy exclaimed, laughing.

"Oh...that may work too..."

"Well, I'm glad you prefer this Fawn," Rosalina said kindly.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you, honey," Cult said smugly.

Fawn laughed, almost getting in to that insane laugh of hers, and replied, "We'll see."

I continued to observe Fawn, now realizing that the change was simply her clothes. She was now in a mere tank tops and short shorts. I think the change in clothes made me focus on her more, especially since more of her was revealed.

"Okay, here you go!" Daisy said, leading her to a standard bike.

"Oh...thanks," Fawn said awkwardly, stumbling on to the bike. Once on, she carefully gripped the handlebars.

"Do you know how to use this?" Rosalina asked.

"Um...sort of. We have a bike at home...I think this is the acceleration."

She pressed on the acceleration and throttled forward.

"Fawn!" the three collectively yelled. I found myself growing very nervous for her, and was about to call out to her.

"Ah! Sorry!" she yelped, slamming the brakes. I closed my mouth, no longer needing to call out. I found it odd how worried I was over such a small thing, but choose not to dwell on it. I continued to observe her, with her now getting used to the controls.

She started driving around the hangar slowly, getting the hang of turning, before breaking in to a smile and going a little faster.

"Hah! There you go!" Cult called.

"Yeah! You go girl!" Daisy called as well.

Fawn laughed and continued to circle around the hangar as I continued to watch her.

She seemed so...happy. With her hair flowing, and her face bright with joy. I observed her legs, which were displayed very finely with her position on the bike. They were a light tan, like the rest of her body, and slightly more toned then Peach's legs. They held decent strength, as well as her arms that were gripping the handlebars. There was still something different about her, but I couldn't place what it was.

She drove past me, her body now raised and bent over. I noticed the back of her legs and bottom as she drove by in her bent over position over the handlebars. My eyebrows rose. _Why would I notice something like that? That's...weird. _I noticed that I was looking at her in a different light. _What is it that I can't place that's...different about her?_

* * *

**Fawn**

Peach eventually led us out of the garage and to the starting line, where a Lakitu waited on his cloud to be the referee. He held a little flashlight that would tell us when we would go.

Everyone began revving their engines, preparing to go. I was both excited and nervous at the same time. I knew this would be fun, and that was what this whole thing was supposed to be for anyways. But I also felt like I shouldn't drag my team down, as they had done so much for me…

The red light on the Lakitu's light turned on, signaling us to get ready. As everyone began to rev up, I gulped.

_I'll have to do this the best I can..._

It turned yellow.

_I'll have to play completely safe, and remember to hold nothing back..._

It finally turned green.

_I've got to be smart about this!_

With that, we all took off. We started driving all in a sort of group, and a few managed to gain the speed and had the handling to make it past the herd of people. I deducted that getting past the herd was the hardest part.

I cut a corner and ran in to some block with a question mark. A green shell materialized on my lap. I remembered there were items that could be used in this game, and that it was impossible to hurt anyone on your team. I took it and aimed it at the person directly in front of me; Wario.

I missed by a small amount, and it bounced around a bit before destroying itself. As I was preoccupied, I ran in to a wall. Wario laughed strangely and drove off. I was now in 16th.

_Okay...I need to remember that my aims good, but not phenomenal..._

I began to panic that I would fail, but I received another item. This time it was three banana peels. I grinned, already knowing what to do with these. They were traps, something I preferred.

Using the banana peels, I placed them in places people would fall for them. Some were hidden in the item boxes, or the grass, or a lane people traveled down a lot. Three people fell for them, allowing me to get ahead.

I was content, now in 10th place, almost at the finish line, until I felt my bike shake.

"Move bitch!" Roy yelled as he bumped his car pass me. I swerved a little from the impact, his kart being much heavier. Peach passed by too in my swerving.

I frowned as I regained myself and passed the finish line. _That wasn't nice...why would Roy do that?_

I sighed as I passed the finish line, where I stalled to a finish, waiting for everyone else to finish. It wasn't long until Lakitu held up a sign that had the results.

1. Mario

2. Rosalina

3. Bowser

4. Luigi

5. Bowser Junior

6. Lemmy

7. Daisy

8. Larry

9. Yoshi

10. Peach

11. Roy

12. Fawn

13. Toad

14. Iggy

15. Wario

16. Morton

17. Ludwig

18. Waluigi

19. Wendy

20. Cult

Hm...12th_. I know I shouldn't expect much better, considering in new...but I let them down._ I was feeling down on myself, but I contented myself that I did better than Cult. I could hear him swearing in the background about his place.

According to the final scores, Team Mushroom won. Bowser looked very angry about this. I instantly felt guilt for ultimately dragging him down, considering I was the one who insisted on joining him. _Oh...I'll have to do better in the last game!_

* * *

The next game was baseball, so we were transported from the race track to a baseball field. Once we got there, I observed what a baseball field looked like. A large field with a diamond shaped area on front, and a bench and shack on each side of the field.

"Okay then!" Peach proclaimed, everyone gathered together on the field. "Toadsworth over here will be the referee." She gestured toward the old Toad, who bowed a little to the lot of us. "He'll flip a coin to decide who bats first; heads us, tails is Darklands."

Everyone nodded and Toadsworth flipped his coin, the result coming out with our team batting first.

Before starting, we had a break to ourselves. We went to our bench where we sat and listened to Bowser's game plan. He seemed energetic, and motivated to win.

"Okay you guys, before I can make the line up, I need to know something." He turned to me. "How much experience do you have with baseball?"

I considered this. It was a game that a few kids played in the village, and I was able to join a few times. But as I never had many friends, and was never all that interested in the game anyway, I wasn't to experienced.

"Um...I've played, and know the rules. But I'm not to great..." I said carefully.

"Anything you're good at it?"

I tried my best to remember my experience playing. "Um...I think I was good at making bases." I continued to consider this. "I remember I didn't really need to do much to make a base..."

"Hm..." he drawled. He paused to think before he said, "Okay, I think I've got the lineup."

He cleared his throat. "Okay, first will be Ludwig. Then Junior, then Morton, then Wendy, then Lemmy, then me, then Fawn, then Larry, then Roy, and finally Iggy." He sighed and looked down, before looking up at us with determination. I could tell how much he wanted to win. "Alright...let's win this, and destroy those fungus losers!"

Everyone cheered, and I sort of clapped awkwardly, not wanting to slander anyone.

We finally began to play. Ludwig grabbed a bat from the bat rack. He sighed and muttered, "A quaint game of golf would have been preferable..."

Ludwig and Junior made bases, and Morton now went up. He hit the ball after two swings, hitting it far outfield. Ludwig actually made it home with the distance Morton had made with his shot, but Morton got out at first, since he wasn't fast. Everyone yelled in cheers. "YEAH! Go Luddy!" Bowser cheered, clapping Ludwig's shoulder.

Ludwig looked away, although he was grinning. "Yes, well...tis my duty as clergy to serve my country in all customs."

Junior, however, was not as fortunate. Despite his speed, he got cocky and going for home as well, this tagged out, thus ending our turn.

Wendy went up, and couldn't hit the ball, sending her in to a fit on how 'totally jank and gross baseball is.'

"Dang it!" Junior whined, pouting.

I jogged to him and patted his shoulder.

"It's okay," I comforted. "You just were a little careless is all."

"Yeah, nothing wrong with going for the win," Bowser said, slapping his son's shoulder, who stumbled a bit. "We just won't let them score!"

And so we swapped sides, Bowser now positioning us. Wendy sat out, complaining that she was hot. Iggy did as well, saying he had things to contemplate. I noted our teams placement was a little…scrambled.

Waluigi actually went first, but he was unable to hit Bowser's lightning fast speed balls.

"Hah! That's what I'm talking about!" he cheered.

Next came Toad, he bunted it and bolted to first. Then came Mario, who hit a powerful hit that got him to first, and Toad to third. Peach went next, but Bowser threw it easier than usual. She hit it and made it to first, sending Toad home.

"Yay, I did it!" Peach cheered happily.

Bowser was smiling faintly at her, and I could tell why he threw it softer. The thought was cute, and made me grin.

Yoshi went next I recall, as I tried to analyze their battle strategy for the sake of the team. Mario made it to third, and someone fumbled, allowing to Yoshi dash to second. Someone else went next as I stared up in to the sky, doing my best to figure out how to win.

_Hm...our placement's off...and...shiny...ball..._

Something white was falling from the sky slowly, white and shiny. It was pretty, so I absently reached out my glove to catch it. It landed in it perfectly, and I looked down on it. _It's...the ball...what?_

"Fawn! The ball!" a voice called. I yelped and threw the ball in the direction of the voice. I looked ahead to see Yoshi tagged out, who had almost made it home.

"You did it Fawn!" Junior cheered, hugging my legs. I blinked before I realized what happened.

"Oh...thank you," I said, happy I did my part.

Bowser ran up to me eagerly, grabbing my shoulders. "You did it Fawn!" he yelled happily.

I smiled eagerly, enjoying the warmth on my shoulders. "Thank you!"

He held on a second longer until his mood seemed to change. He quickly retreated to the shack, muttering, "Good job."

I raised an eyebrow at his odd treatment, but shrugged in the end, looking forward to the next round. They unfortunately made two points, now beating us.

We batted and placed a few people, who Bowser brought home with a single home run. It was quite amazing to see him bat; he swung with such amazing force that they ball disappeared in to the sky. We all rushed and tackled him in joy, not that it was enough to make him fall. All his kids were gathered around him, hugging and cheering for him. "Go King Dad!" "You're awesome!" "I can't even see the ball any more!"

He laughed heartily and roared in victory. I felt like I was supposed to do something, but I couldn't get to him because of all his kids around him. So I did something on instinct; I launched up past his kids in to his arms. He caught me with a surprised look on his face

"Uh...good job Bowser!" I congratulated from my place in his arms, his giant hands suspending me with ease.

He looked down on me, and there actually may've been a slight blush. He quickly put me down and muttered, "No problem..."

We eventually struck out again, making three points by the end of our turn. After they went, they had unfortunately made four points. Bowser was none to pleased. "Damn! What are we doing wrong!?"

I frowned, feeling as though I was failing him. _I'll have to do better for him...maybe if I share my defense plan, they'll score less points. I feel as though he thought more about our offense, not defense…_

Finally, it was my turn to bat. I gulped, slowly walking to the home plate as a few people cheered me on. I put my hands in what I remembered to be the way to hold the bat and stared down Mario, who was pitching.

_Okay...think...when the ball comes, I need to swing._ That's the important part. _So all I need to do is foc-_

The ball whizzed past my ear.

"Strike!" Toadsworth called.

I blinked dumbly, trying to gather myself. _Damn! Come on, focus!_

I focused intently, but even then the ball flew by faster than I could hit.

"Strike two!"

"Come on Fawn!" Bowser cheered.

I gulped, steeling myself. I stared down Mario with determination. _I can do this...I can do it! I'm going to hit the ball no matter what!_

He reared back his hand and finally threw the ball. My eyes flashed as I swung the bat. I've got it! I've-

The ball hit me smack in the forehead, and I tumbled over. I was lying on the floor, dazed and confused. I could hear yelling and heavy footsteps.

"Fawn! You alright!?"

I felt a pressure on my chest. I looked up drearily to see Junior sitting on it, his face looking worried.

I blinked and rested my head back down. "Um..."

"You okay Fawn?"

I looked to my side and saw Bowser standing with his arms crossed. He looked worried.

I blinked. "Um...I guess..." I remembered something important. "Did I hit the ball?"

Bowser inspected me, as if looking for a wound, before losing his worried look and chuckling. "With your face, yeah."

"Oh...did I do good then?" I asked, confused by what that meant.

"I guess...you get to take a base. But only if you're okay-"

"Oh, that's good," I said, sitting up. Junior got off me and I slowly walked to first.

_So it was just like I remembered...I made a base without really doing anything._

After I made my base, Larry struck out. But Roy made a home run, so that gave us two points. But in the end, Ludwig and Junior both got out.

Bowser was very worried. "Damn...time to change."

We started changing positions, but I walked up to Bowser before going to mine. "Um...Bowser?"

"What?" he said gruffly.

"If you like, I think I may have a better defense position."

He turned to me with a suspicious glance. "Oh really?"

"Um...yes, I think."

"What do you know about baseball?" I could tell he was grouchy now form losing.

"Well um...not much, but I think everyone's talents and teamwork aren't being utilized correctly. And we're losing now, so a change must be made."

He considered this before sighing. "Fine, we'll try it for this inning. Let's see if it works."

And so I organized everyone to my liking. Bowser pitched, Ludwig catching, Lemmy on first, Junior on second, me on third, Morton in left outfield, Roy in middle, and Larry in right.

We tried this new tactic, and it worked even better then I hoped. Everyone was close to someone I noticed they'd work well with, and I noticed power throwers were more important to be put in outfield, so I placed stronger people there. In the end, these tactics plus the element of surprise prevented the Mushroom team from scoring a single point.

Bowser walked up to me at the end of the inning. "Wow...impressive. Didn't realize you were so good at baseball."

I smiled shyly. "No I'm not. I just took what I knew about your kids and tried to make a better defense. You made a very good offensive strategy with your line up, but your defense was lacking was all."

He raised a brow. "Yeah...uh, you knew that much about my kids?"

I shrugged. "I guess..."

He nodded thoughtfully and walked away. I heard him mutter, "How about that..."

We played the next two innings, our good playing staying true. In the end, we won 12 to 10.

Bowser ran up to all of us and somehow found the might and reach to hug half of us and pick us all up.

"Ah, we did it! We beat those little bastards!"

He promptly dropped us and walked to the other team. He laughed and yelled, "In your face!"

Mario frowned angrily at Bowser's taunting. "Shut up-a! We-a still won-a the race!"

"Well...actually..." Peach drawled, looking down. "They beat us better in this one, and gained more points total. So overall...they win by a margin."

Bowser's eyes widened and he broke out in to a giant smile. "YEAH!" he roared.

Everyone except for Wendy, Ludwig, and Iggy joined Bowser in roaring. Even I awkwardly yelled in cheer too.

Bowser quickly turned to me and grabbed me in an air tight hug, pressing me against a plastron. I laughed at his friendly, happy gesture. It made me happy he was so happy…although he was hugging me pretty tight.

"You played great! Damn, you know baseball!" he said happily, looking down on me in his arms.

I chuckled, despite the fact that he was crushing me. "I told you...I know you...and your...family..."

His face looked reflective. "You sure do. "

I coughed a little. "Um...sorry...but...you're choking..."

He realized he was crushing me and released me, letting me gasp for air.

"Woops. Sorry." He chuckled.

I chuckled too, and the whole team was laughing and having a good time.

Peach walked up and began to address everyone. "Well, thank you Bowser and your family for coming to compete with us. And thank you Fawn and Cult for coming as well!" She quickly said, "Sorry you got hurt Fawn..."

"No worries, I'm fine," I assured.

She nodded before continuing. "Congratulations for winning the competition Team Darkland!"

"I-a suppose you can-a win at least one," I heard Mario mutter.

Bowser growled. "Want to speak up, plumber!?"

"Now, now, you won and did great," Peach quickly soothed. As expected, Bowser relaxed. "Thank you for coming out! The carriages are waiting outside, and that'll take you back to the castle so we can all go home. Thanks again everyone for coming!"

We all said a few things and exchanged a few words before we all climbed in to the carriages. I felt a pang of sadness in my heart now that I knew the day was over._ If only I could see everyone a little longer..._

* * *

**Bowser**

I sat in the carriage with Fawn by my side. There were four carriages, and everyone on my team split in two different ones. I went in to one with Fawn, Junior, Roy, and Ludwig.

I looked at her, sitting by my side and staring out the window. She seemed upset about something.

I frowned, as I felt upset too for some reason. _Why am I upset? I won the tournament! I should be happy! I should..._

I took another glance at her. It was a really fun day, yeah. But not because I won...because I spent the day with my friend and family. I was sad that it was over. And soon I was back to my old life.

"Are we there yet?" Junior whined.

"I swear to Stars, ya keep up dat whinin and I'll beat da crap outta ya!" Roy seethed.

"Why must the chemistry of this family be so vulgar and dysfunctional?" I heard Ludwig mutter.

I sighed, remembering that my whole family was going to be home for the next few days, which meant we would try to find a nanny to prevent them from destroying the castle. And we wouldn't find any nanny so the castle would be destroyed.

_Why can't any of the nannies just do their damn jobs? Seriously, the only good one was..._

I looked to my side to glance at her. Though I didn't want to admit it openly, her love for my kids made me happy. She really is impressive. _She's the only person that understands my kids and can sort of take care of them...I don't want to leave her, we didn't get to talk much!_ I blushed when I thought that. _She's my friend... _I blushed harder when I remembered the three times I'd hugged her. _She felt so warm...and it was nice to hold someone... _I looked over at her in her new apparel. _She looks really good in that...I didn't know she had all that! _My eyes widened and I forced myself to stop thinking. _What are you thinking!? You can't think like that, it's...weird! She's just my friend, who I'm going to miss, unless there's a way to-_

My eyes flashed as an idea came to mind. Wait...what if I...?

"Hey um...Fawn?" I said hesitantly. Not that I really had any reason to be hesitant, it was no big deal!

She turned to me and cocked her head. "Hm?"

"How would you like...a job?" _This isn't weird! I'm simply hiring the only nanny that can actually work! _

"...Hm?"

"Well...the Koopalings respond well to you, so I figured that maybe you could come to the castle to take care of them for a while..."

"What?" everyone said, the three others were now paying attention.

"I'm offering you a job to take care of the Koopalings for a while. I guess you'd stay for a few days, until some of them go back home," I said irately. "I'll pay you a hundred coins per hour, all living expenses paid," I quickly added.

Her eyes bulged. "What?"

_Crap, she's not biting!_ "One hundred fifty."

"Yes!" she said quickly.

"Really?" I said, a little to hopefully.

"Yes! Um...I mean, I have to ask Cult..." she said, calming down.

Argh, I hate that guy. That may be a problem. I quickly looked her over. _Hm...I can always kidnap her... _I considered this, but shook my head. _Nah...that feels weird for some reason._

"Fawn is taking care of us!? Alright!" Junior said excitedly, bouncing in his seat.

"Ugh, I gotta deal wid dis bitch again? Man…" Roy muttered

"Oh heavens. Don't use me to rationalize your own agenda, father," Ludwig muttered. I ignored him.

I internally growled at Ludwig's comment, knowing that he was right. But I still ignored it. _I hope her dad approves…_

* * *

**Fawn**

Once I got out of the carriage I ran out to meet Cult. I was incredibly excited to take care of Bowser's family again; and for so much money too!

_I could make so much money, and help out Cult! Maybe even the whole village if I did it enough!_

I was very excited, so I ran to him as he got out of the carriage himself.

"Cult!" I called enthusiastically, reaching him.

He, Peach, and Rosalina climbed out with him.

"Hey Fawn!" he greeted. "Good plays out there!"

"Thanks. Listen, Bowser just offered me a great job!" I said eagerly, cutting to the chase.

He frowned. "What?"

"He offered me to stay at his castle to nanny his kids while they're home!"

His eyes widened. "What!?"

"Yeah! Can I do it, please?"

"What...n-no! No, of course not!" he said, gaping.

I frowned. "But why not?"

"Because! He's...he's evil! He's no good, I'm not voluntarily letting you stay there!" he insisted intensely.

"B-but...it's my first job! Please!" I pleaded insistently.

"I have to agree with your father, this is a bad idea. I've told you, Bowser is dangerous..." Peach added.

"No he's not! He's nice!" I insisted. "You all must not know him like I do..."

"Fawn, I've known Bowser longer. I know what he's capable of," Peach insisted.

"Now wait, what's the problem?" Rosalina asked, joining the conversation.

"My daughter seems to think it's okay to live with tyrannical kidnappers!" Cult huffed.

"Bowser offered me a job to nanny his kids!" I explained.

"Oh...well, why not?" Rosalina asked.

"Because he's evil, and who knows what could happen if she goes!" Peach said.

"Seems the only thing we do know is if anything goes wrong, she can just be rescued like usual. Or, as she's been able to do, escape," Rosalina reasoned

"Yeah, but-"

"Fawn, how much does it pay?" Rosalina asked me.

"Um...one fifty coins per hour."

Cult's eyes bulged. "Really!?"

"Yes!"

"You see? This would be a great opportunity for her; she could make a lot of money, experience a job, and maybe even soften Bowser up a little. He has gotten nicer," Rosalina reasoned.

"But-"

"And let's not forget she's twenty one. She can make her own decisions."

Cult finally calmed at this. "I...suppose..." He turned to me. "Is this...what you want?"

I nodded. "Yes, very much."

He waited a long time, contemplating. He finally sighed. "Ugh...alright..."

I squealed in happiness and hugged him. "Oh thank you!"

"Oh, you can't be serious!" Peach persisted.

I turned to her and grabbed her hand. I was a little irate that despite how much Bowser clearly loved her, she still treated him so. "Listen. Bowser's not as bad as you think. Let me do this...please."

She stated in to my eyes before softly saying, "Okay..."

I smiled and let go of her. Rosalina chuckled and said, "Well, time to run along dear."

I smiled as I looked at her. I was feeling very grateful for everything she'd done today. "Thank you for helping…but why are you being so nice and defending me? Don't you hate Bowser?"

She chuckled. "I don't hate him. I know as you do that he has good in him. I just believe you have the right to do what you want. And also…let's just say I think you're good for him."

I noticed her odd statement. But once again I was overcome by that feeling of déjà vu. I ignored it, as I feel like the day was catching up to me. "Okay...bye Rosalina. Thank you..."

"My pleasure," she said kindly.

I turned to Peach and Cult. "Bye! Bowser said he'll drop me off at the village in a week at the latest! Love you!"

I took off toward Bowser's family, eager to take off. Or as eager as I could be in my steadily increasing rate of exhaustion

"Just be careful! Remember what we talked about!" I heard Cult call.

_Oh right...I've got to remember that._ "Okay."

I finally made it to Bowser's family, although now I was stumbling. I was very tired by now.

"Did he say yes?" he asked.

"Yeah." My energy was draining out.

He seemed happier than his usual nonchalant self, but he still retained it. "Cool."

"Oh Fawn this'll be so fun!"

"More games!"

"More tests!"

I heard several voices calling, but I was to tired to process any of them. I stumbled vaguely in to a machine of some kind and stood on some floor.

I remember wind going through my hair.

I remember the vague excitement of leaving.

* * *

**Well, looks like Bowser's finally taking some interest in her! Look forward to the next ch! Lol review/fav/whatev! Byee**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hooray, faster update. I won. Lol patience Angela XD and thanks again WhiteasSnowyhills! Here's a shorter one of Fawn's first day back at the castle. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 20: ...Lunch?

**Fawn**

_Gray..._

I drearily opened my eyes.

_It's all gray..._

I groped around my bed. It wasn't mine.

_Bowser..._

I sat up and blinked. Yawning, I slowly remembered what I was doing here.

"I'm...here," I muttered.

Realizing where I was, I grinned slightly and crawled out if bed toward the bathroom, now slightly more energized. As I soaked in the shower, I tried to remember last night.

I was incredibly tired when I climbed in to the Clown Copter, so I had little recollection of what happened exactly. I vaguely remember being led to my room and stumbling inside it. It was the same blank guest room that I had last time, and I had fallen asleep almost instantly. As my mind wandered, I remembered why I was here.

_Oh dear...I'm supposed to be babysitting soon, aren't I?_

I quickly finished showering and ran outside. I rummaged through my dresser to find the clothes I left there since I had escaped. I threw on a random set of clothes and rushed out my door.

_Okay...Bowser should be done with breakfast now! I'll ask him when I start!_

With this in mind, I ran down the halls in the vague direction of the dining hall to find Bowser.

* * *

**Bowser**

I walked outside the dining hall, finishing my late breakfast.

I grinned happily, glad that I finally had time to myself to work on the Clown Copter. I was about to start walking there when to my surprise, I saw Fawn running down the hall toward me, looking very disheveled I might add.

"Bowser!" she said, finally catching up. "Sorry that I fell asleep so fast!"

I raised a brow. I did find how fast she grew tired a little odd, as she had practically collapsed in to her room last night. "Uh, no problem."

"Um...I was wondering. When do I start the babysitting?"

_Oh yeah, that's why she's here._ "Oh...well, apparently Kamek already hired someone for the day. So we'll be fine..." I trailed off, remembering who exactly we were dealing with. "For maybe a day or so."

"Oh...okay."

As I silence fell over us, I couldn't help but take the moment to observe her messy apparel. She was wearing a dark green shirt and shorts, but they were clearly put on in haste. One of her short's legs was rolled up to her thigh. Her shirt was wrinkled and screwed up, the neck line stretched down and misshapen. I also realized that she wasn't wearing a bra.

My face blushed and I looked away. _Okay, you're not supposed to look at that. Don't be weird, she's your friend!_

"Um...Bowser? Did you hear me?"

I snapped to attention. "Uh, no! I wasn't staring or anything!"

"Well okay." She shrugged. "So, what am I supposed to do today?"

"Um..." I realized I had no idea what to do with her. _Hm…what else can I make her do? What do I want her to do…?_ "...Lunch?" _Lunch? What the hell was I thinking?_

She instantly beamed. "Oh I'm so hungry! I haven't eaten since we were at Peach's castle! I'd love that!"

I stood there, wondering what I should do. I sort of said something that was on my mind...breakfast wasn't always enough to fill me up, and lunch was already on my mind. _But also wanted to hang out with her…maybe. I guess this is okay...we're friends, I need to get used to that...argh, this is weird._

"Alright..." I muttered.

"Well um...let's go?" she said unsurely.

I looked her over again, despite trying not to. "Um...no. No, you should probably fix yourself up a little."

"What?" She looked down at herself and blushed. "Oh...I guess I left in a hurry. Sorry..."

I shrugged. "It's fine. I'll have a guard come get you in around an hour or two. See you later."

"Okay...bye," she said, before walking away.

I was about to walk away too, when I noticed her back side was just as disheveled.

Her shirt was slightly rolled up, and her shorts were sagging, somewhat exposing her butt. I blushed as I quickly turned and walked away. _She's um...damn it Fawn._

**Fawn**

* * *

After I had tidied myself up for a bit, I watched TV until I heard a knock at my door. I answered it to see Jimmy, which made me very happy.

"Jimmy!" I exclaimed, stooping down to hug him.

He chuckled and hugged back. "Good to see you back Fawn."

I smiled and pulled away. "It's great to see you. How've you been doing?"

"Pretty good. Since you're friends with Bowser, I didn't get in trouble after all for screwing up." He smiled.

"Oh that's great to hear! Thanks again for um...bringing me here," I said, feeling the need to show my gratitude.

"Thank you for not hating me." He chuckled.

I was about to ask why he was here, when I remembered something important that I keep forgetting. "Um...you're not mad at me for escaping, are you?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Not mad; impressed! I didn't think anyone could; especially you! ...Um, no offense."

"None taken."

"That sure was a good plan...and in the end, there weren't any repercussions. The fire didn't do much, and the Clown Copter was an old model, so Bowser didn't care to much. Hell, even Bowser was more impressed than mad!"

I grinned at that. "I'm glad...so why are you here, anyway? Did you just come to visit me? Because that's fine!"

"Nah, apparently you've got some sort of lunch with Bowser. I came to pick you up."

I nodded. "Oh, right. I remember now. Thank you."

"No problem, follow me." He started walking away, with me in tow.

As we walked, I heard him mutter, "Damn, he's really taken a shining to her..."

We made it to a terrace of sorts on a high up floor. It had several plants and pieces of furniture lying around. But what struck me was the glass wall that looked over all the land. It gave me a view of the gorgeous lava laced country, with the streams flowing through the grass of purple and gray. And I noticed that during the day, the sky was a dark blue, not a light one. The change of hue was so incredible, and it reminded me again how utterly awe inspiring this land was.

"See you," I heard Jimmy say.

"Bye..." I whispered.

I stood in silence, observing the land, when I heard another voice. "You okay there?"

I turned my head to see something I'd somehow overlooked; Bowser, sitting at a lunch table. "Hey Fawn."

I didn't respond immediately; I just observed him. Even sitting, he towered upright. With the dark blue sky backing his majestic appearance, he was quite a picture. _Um...wow..._

"Fawn?"

There were two meals set out for us. I remembered where I was. "Oh...yes, sorry."

I sat down and said, "I was just observing the countryside...it's still very beautiful."

He chuckled. "Yeah, it never gets old..."

My stomach growled loudly, which made Bowser and I laugh. "Can I eat?"

He laughed. "Thought you'd never ask."

Sharing a laugh, we wasted no time tearing in to our food. I registered mine was some sort of meat with a side of potatoes and salad, but I didn't care, I was way to hungry. We didn't stop until I heard Bowser laughing.

"Hah! It's still funny to watch!" he laughed.

He was laughing at my eating again, so I looked up to see grease on his chin. I laughed and said, "Like you're any better; look at your cheek!"

He touched a finger to his chin and cracked up, making me laugh with him. "You want me to get that for you?" I offered, still laughing.

His laughter calmed, his face looking at me with curiosity. "Hm?"

"Oh, just hang on one second." I grabbed a napkin and reached over the table to him. "Hah...here you go," I said, dabbing his cheek until the grease was wiped off.

He grew a little shy, his eyes widening slightly at the gesture. "Uh...sorry, thanks." _I guess I surprised him…_

I smiled, assuming he was shy about being sloppy. "It's alright. Just be sure to do the same for me next time!"

"Uh...right."

I chuckled as I asked,"So...what've you been up to since I left?"

He grinned and said, "Well...I've been working hard on the Skyship model 9."

I smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah! In fact...I decided to use your trap idea."

I smiled brighter. "I'm glad to hear it!"

"Yeah..."

He looked like he was about to open his mouth again, but he was interrupted.

"Fawn! King Dad!"

We turned our heads to see Junior bolted in to the room. He ran up to Bowser and jumped in his lap.

Bowser looked surprised by his sudden entrance, but he soon softened and began to chuckle. "Junior, what are you doing here?"

"I was painting, but then I got bored, and I remembered you and Fawn were here!" he said happily.

I smiled at him, still finding him adorable. "It's good to see you too, Junior."

Bowser frowned. "Hey wait...what happened to the nanny?"

Junior thought about it for a second before saying, "Oh...she got mad when Roy pushed her down the stairs, so she left."

He turned to me and enthusiastically said, "It's okay though, she wasn't cool like you!"

I smiled as Bowser sighed and said, "Go figure...well Fawn will be taking care of you all tomorrow."

Junior's face lit up and he jumped off Bowser's lap and jumped on to mine. "Yeah! We're going to have a lot of fun!"

I smiled down at him and stroked his ponytail. "Yes we will."

He smiled for a second more before he suddenly grew grim. "Listen...Fawn? I forgot to ask you this yesterday, but um...why'd you leave?"

Guilt welled up in my chest at his words, as I had once again forgotten about that. Bowser seemed to look a little awkward from the question too. "Well..."

"Did you leave because you don't like it here?" he asked worriedly.

I shook my head quickly. "No! I love it here! I just needed to see my dad again..."

He perked up a little. "Your dad?"

I nodded. "Yes. My dad was very nervous that I was gone...so I had to see him."

"Oh, he was trembling in fear…" I heard Bowser mutter.

He nodded in understanding. "Oh...okay, that makes sense! I'd probably do the same thing!" He chuckled nervously. "I was a little afraid that you didn't like us..."

I smiled reassuringly. "I still don't get that; you guys are wonderful."

"Yeah...she's not like the others." I turned to at Bowser who said that. He was smiling at me and Junior.

Junior smiled back before he hopped off my lap. "Well, I've got to go. I can't shirk painting all day, otherwise I'll never finish! Bye!" He quickly ran outside the room, leaving the two of us.

"Little ball of energy..." Bowser said, grinning. I grinned too, finding him adorable, and his relationship with his father cute as well.

Junior's entrance reminded me that my job started tomorrow. "Listen...I want to do this job right," I said seriously.

He turned back to me, seemingly off-put by the tone change. "Well yeah. You do," Bowser replied simply.

"No...last time, Larry and Roy ran away. I want to actually do this right; I want to take care of them all."

He chuckled softly. "I don't think that's even possible; no nanny has ever managed to make them stay in one room and behave."

"Well...you're paying me a lot, and I owe you anyway. So I should do this right," I persisted.

"Fawn, it's really not that big a deal." He frowned.

"I don't care, it's all I can do," I insisted.

"Well...if you insist," he said skeptically. "Just don't overdo yourself..."

"Thank you. Now, there are some questions I'd like to ask."

He raised a brow at the off natured question. "Why?"

"It'll help me babysit them."

"Uh...well okay then. Shoot."

"Okay, I've been observing the kids, and I need to know something; is Larry a thief?"

He chuckled. "Oh yeah, big time. He's stealthy as hell; no one can hear him coming. He can just swipe something and no one would notice. Especially since he pulls off that damn nice kid act so well. Kid's got charisma, I'll give him that."

I nodded thoughtfully, considering this. _I see...so he's been lying to me. Maybe that time I talked to him…he had stuffed goods in his shell. And maybe that's why I can always find him behind the tree…_ I looked at Bowser seriously. "Now...I need to know something. As long as they're not hurt, am I allowed to do whatever I want to keep them in line?"

"Uh...sure, I guess," he responded, skeptical as ever.

"Also, if it's not to much to ask, could you ask a few guards to build a pit for me?"

"...What?"

"Could you tell a few guards to help me dig a pit?" I repeated. "It'd be in a secluded spot behind a tree, and wouldn't be to deep, so it shouldn't cause any landscaping issues. I'd tell them how deep to make it., and I would help rebury it."

"Um...why?" he asked, confused.

I sighed. "Listen...the reason you can never discipline them is because you don't take the appropriate measures."

"What do you mean...?"

"Bowser, you have incredibly determined, intelligent kids. They don't just have issues in behavior, they're smart and unyielding. You've been underestimating them. Telling them 'no' doesn't work. Simply punishing them doesn't work." I grinned and finished my statement. "If you want to beat them, you have to do it at their own game."

"Um...right. I guess that makes sense..." he said.

"So you'll send the guards? I may also ask them for other things." At his skepticism, I quickly added, "It will be less than the damages to the castle they'd make if they ran amok. And if we beat them at their own game, they may not be tempted to try again…"

The castle damage part seemed to get to him, as he finally shrugged."Sure, I guess."

I smiled. "Great!" I noticed the state of our meals.

"Well...I suppose we're done," I pointed out, both of us having eaten out lunch.

"Yep. It was cool having lunch with you," Bowser replied, grinning. "I'm looking forward to seeing how you babysit these kids...sounds like it'll be interesting."

I grinned back. "Well, thanks for giving me such good food!"

He paused before asking, "Well, why don't you have dinner with us after you babysit?"

I beamed at the preposition. "I'd love that. Thank you!"

He laughed. "No problem, nanny."

"Nanny? You have to call me by my job now, king?"

"You know, that's what you should be calling me," he said cheekily.

"Well, we're on better terms than that."

He paused. "I guess so, yeah."

We walked out of the room, ready to go our separate ways. I turned to him, and I suddenly realized I had no idea what I should do or say as a goodbye. _Well…this is awkward._

"Um...bye?" I said unsurely.

He laughed. "You don't sound to confident about that."

"Well what am I supposed to do?" I pouted.

He considered this. "Huh...good point. I don't know..."

I pouted for a little longer, before breaking out in a chuckle. "Well...you say what am I supposed to do! You're better at this!"

I scratched his chin in thought. He chuckled before stretching out his arms. "I think friends hug goodbye."

I considered this. "Oh...okay, that sounds right."

I stretched out my arms and hugged him, still trying not to press my face against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, and I felt the strength and warmth of his embrace. I noticed how nice it felt to be surrounded by such warmth and strength…it almost felt even nicer then before. It didn't last long, as we pulled away soon.

I smiled. "Bye, Bowser."

He smiled back. "Bye Fawn."

* * *

**This is pretty much 80k+ words of fluff, isn't it? So they both seem to be warming up more and more! Bowser's getting his perv moments in, so that's always a plus. And Fawn...well, she's liking Bowser more and more, but who knows what she's thinking? She doesn't even know majority of the time XD well read, review and say anything you want basically, or whatever Byee**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey. So, at last, Fawn takes on the Koopalings. Let's see how that goes...**

**PS: Thanks WhiteasSnowyhills!**

* * *

Chapter 21: 1v8. Bring it on!

**Fawn**

"Okay, so we've already finished the pit last night. And I've already covered it up well..." I spoke to myself. "And I've already dealt with his room..." I addressed the guard who was helping me. "You said the cage was fireproof, right?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay great..." I took a deep breath to steel myself.

_I need to do this...for Bowser. I've prepared for this...am I taking this to far? No, I don't think so. These kids won't listen unless you take some serious measures. This really won't be easy...they're all dangerous and intelligent. And they're all stronger than me, so I won't be able to stop them by force. But with all I've got planned, maybe I can do it. It's one versus eight... _I breathed out and walked to the playroom, where they were waiting._ Bring it on!_

* * *

I walked in to the room to see all eight of them together. They all probably would've run away if it weren't for Kamek's supervision.

"Uh...thank you for watching them until I got here," I said to Kamek shyly.

"No problem. Good luck Fawn," he said kindly, walking to the door.

He stopped to turn around to the kids. "And if you all misbehave, I swear to stars, I'll turn you in to toads!"

"Ooo, I'm real scared of Dusty ol Kamek," Roy sneered. Junior and Larry both laughed cruelly in his face in response to Roy's joke.

He growled at them before turning to me and repeating, "Good luck," and leaving.

I nodded and turned back to the Koopalings. I began to scan them, rethinking their capabilities and potential threat.

_Junior...ordinarily a trouble maker, he could've been a problem. But we're friends, so I'm sure he'll be obedient if I entertain him._

_Morton. Follows his sibling' lead in to misbehaving, but since I'm here, and a few of his siblings will be too, he probably won't feel the need to._

_Iggy. I'm actually not entirely sure how he'll behave, as he's very unpredictable. I'm sure if I leave him to think, or answer his questions, it'll be fine._

_And then Lemmy. Such a sweet boy...he doesn't misbehave anyway._

These were, so to speak, my allies. They won't cause any trouble if I treat them well. So I turned to the other half; the troublemakers.

_Larry. Stealthy, cunning, intelligent, and charismatic. With a thirsty greed and desire to steal, he will want to leave. With all his intelligence and maliciousness, he may prove to be the biggest threat._

_Wendy. Another unpredictable one. If she's got a TV show on, she'll be fine. If not, she'll whine and destroy things...hopefully she has a TV show on. Otherwise I switch to plan B. And if that doesn't work...plan C._

_Roy. In terms of strength, he's not to far off from his dad. This, plus his intense desire to bully people and cause general havoc, will make him a huge threat. He thinks I'm dumb and won't listen to me...or anyone._

_Finally there's Ludwig. He's cocky and thinks he's to good for this. He'll most likely leave to go play I'm the orchestra room, which I can't allow. But...I know he believes in manners, including losing gracefully._

I kept all of this in mind as I began to act.

"Um...hello everyone," I greeted shyly. "I just wanted you to know in sorry that I had to escape...but I had to. Because of my family and stuff. But um...now I'm here! Babysitting you all. I hope it goes well..."

Roy scoffed, and rudely said, "I ain't puttin up with this bullshit. You're dumb as hell, I'm out."

_He's acting up quicker than anticipated! _I quickly tried to start my act, although it was terrible as usual. "Oh um...please stay?" I said pathetically.

"Nope. Move bitch," he sneered, shoving past me.

"U-um...oh no, please don't wreak havoc on the castle," I said awkwardly.

He smiled maliciously. "Dats exactly wad I'm gonna do."

"O-oh no...not when the um...the thing is out," I stuttered, trying to remember my lines. Charisma was not my thing, and he was scaring me.

"Quit bullying Fawn, pinkie!" Junior interrupted.

"Shuddup, ya lil snot!" He turned back to me and leered. "What thing?"

"O-oh...well, I heard that there's some sort of new weapon we're keeping in the dungeon...I got to use it. It's pretty fun...but dangerous! Oh, the um...the havoc one could wreak!" I said, desperately hoping he was buying it.

I was practically squinting my eyes in anticipation. But from the looks of it, he did buy it, as he smirked evilly. "Well...you really are dumb! Thanks for da info, later!"

He walked out the door as I weakly called, "Please...oh no..."

Once I confirmed he was gone, I let out an internal sigh of relief. I turned around to see a few of the Koopalings looking at me strangely. They probably saw through my poor acting.

To be fair to Roy, he's not an idiot. He was just cocky and assumed that I'm to dumb to be a threat, so he looked pass my bad acting. _Well, that's one down. I'll have to check on him later..._

"Sorry that Roy left," Lemmy apologized sincerely.

I smiled down on him. "It's fine."

"OMS, he can just leave!? That's totes unfair, why am I here!?" Wendy whined.

I cringed at her voice, afraid of her possible wrath. "Um...don't you have a show to watch?"

She growled. "Nothing's on today."

I panicked, gritting my teeth. _Damn, why couldn't this be easy? I have to resort to plan B... _"U-um...I'm sorry about what happened between us..." I apologized.

"You should be," she sneered.

"Yes, so...to make it up, if you behave and stay here, I promise I'll try again! I'll do girly stuff with you!" I offered, hoping she'd say yes.

She considered this for a while, so Junior piped in. "You don't have to do anything for stupid Wendy!"

"STFU, you brat!" Wendy screeched. She turned to me and her lip curled. "Fine. But I'm like, not going to make this easy. You thought what I did to you was bad? Well lol, like, we're going through the real works tomorrow. Clothes shopping, hair dos, waxing, like, everything. Deal?"

I cringed at this preposition, and considered switching to plan C. But I knew that would land me in hotter water, and I still felt bad for her, so this was the best course of action. "Um...deal."

She put her hands on her hips and said, "Fine. Guess I'll catch up on like, Teen Koopa or something."

"Thank you!" I said as she plopped on the couch, flipping the TV on.

Unfortunately, Ludwig approached me next. "You can't envisage that I'd tolerate such an insipid atmosphere. I demand that I'm allowed pardon to practice in the orchestra room."

I frowned, for I had hoped that he wouldn't act up too. I sighed internally, accepting it as inevitable now. I decided to skip the bad acting, as he'd most likely see through it. "Um...okay, I guess if you're quiet..."

He looked pleased with this answer. "You have my thanks. I'll only be as silent as my spirit's composition allows my music to be."

"Um...okay."

He began to walk to the door, but I grew nervous that he wouldn't act according to plan. So I asked him something. "Um...just wondering...you keep a key to the orchestra room in your room...right?"

He looked at me quizzically, most likely noticing the bizarre nature of my question. "Indeed...how does this come to your knowledge?"

I panicked. "O-oh, um...just thought it'd make sense for a good composer like you! Uh...wondering if you were that good that you get your own key."

He continued to scrutinize me for a time until, eventually, he seemed to shrug passed it. "Yes, well...thank you. Salutations."

He walked out of the door, now heading to his room.

I sighed in relief, glad that he didn't think to hard about my comment. I looked around me and noticed that a Koopaling was missing; Larry. As expected, he got away without me even noticing. "Oh...looks like Larry left." I wasn't to worried, as I expected this, and had already prepared.

I sighed, now hoping everything would go to plan.

Junior walked up to me, rubbing his neck. "I'm sorry they all left you..."

I smiled and said, "It's okay. I don't mind."

Morton frowned. "You don't? But isn't it your job to take care of us? I thought you wanted to do well...which you are! I mean better, you know, have everyone here, and-"

"It's okay Morton. I'm sure they'll be just fine," I assured.

"How do you know?" Lemmy asked.

"Uh...call it a hunch," I said mysteriously, not wanting to give away my secrets.

"Oh my, I wonder how you're brain is working...fascinating!" Iggy cackled.

"Listen...why don't we all just play a game or something, then we'll check on them. Okay?" I offered. They all looked very happy with the preposition.

We ended up playing tag, which was rather fun. We played until I was sure everything had fallen in to place.

* * *

**Roy**

I ran toward the dungeons, both because I was eager and because I didn't want to get caught. Most of the guards didn't make as much of an effort to catch me, but I didn't notice.

I rounded a corner and made it to a large stone door. I pushed it open and made it to the dungeons. It was a dark and moist place, with a few cages and several weapons.

_Huh...guess it makes sense to keep the weapon down here. People have hid things down here before. No one really wants to go down here, anyway. _Being honest, the idea of keeping a weapon down here made sense. But keeping a really dangerous one was a little strange…but I wasn't thinking.

I snickered as I thought about Fawn's carelessness.

_What a dumb broad...she really just led me here, didn't she? _

I stopped in place when I realized I called her dumb again.

_She gets upset when I call her that. Wonder why, it ain't such a big deal. People call me dumb, but that's because they are and they don't know any better. But I wonder how upset she really gets..._

I frowned in consideration before shaking my head._ Ah, screw it! I don't care about her! Besides, she is what she is. Now, time to focus. Where is that thing...?_

After searching for a time, I saw what looked like a technological gun, sitting on a bench in the back of the room. My eyes widened and I grinned in victory. _Jackpot!_

I sort of noted that it was in a cage, but I didn't think much of it, despite it being a little odd. I ran toward it, not noticing where I was headed. I ran to it when I felt my foot hit something and I tripped. I heard a door slam. I fell flat on my face, and I swore in pain.

_Ow...what the hell?_ I stood up slowly, holding my head. I noticed my sunglasses were a little cracked on top. _Damn it...these are my favorite pair! What the hell happened?_

I turned around and saw that the cage door had slammed shut. Confused, I looked down and saw that I had tripped over some wire that blended in with the floor. I saw that it was connected to the door, which made it slam when I tripped. My eyes widened as I realized what had happened.

_A...trap?_ I quickly got up and moved toward the gun, grabbing it. I realized up close that it was just one of my old expensive toys.

"No way..." I spoke aloud.

I ran up to the door and started to yank on it. It was locked.

_No, you've got to be freaking kidding me!_

I pulled on it as hard as I could; punching it, even breathing fire on it, but it wouldn't budge. I knew full well that the cage walls were virtually indestructible.

"Wad da hell!?" I yelled. I began to roar. "HEY! SOMEONE GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

I also knew that the walls were soundproof.

I continued to roar, finally realizing what happened, and who did this. "DAMN YOU FAWN!"

* * *

**Larry**

I quickly sneaked through the halls with my bounty; a few chocolate bars and some guard's wallet. I grinned, happy with what I stole from the kitchen. I paced quickly to where I stashed my stuff, as I was slightly on guard. Not only could I not get caught, as usual, but something about Fawn bugged me today.

_Sure, I got away from her no problem. But the way she was talking to Roy, she was clearly acting weird. She knew something, and was maybe leading him on to something._ I had a gut feeling that she wasn't as dumb as she came off, as she showed in the baseball game.

_Hm...I should find Roy after this._

With that resolve in mind, I went to my hiding stash behind a tree in a courtyard. Upon walking right behind the tree the ground suddenly collapsed and I fell.

I fell for a short time before I finally hit the floor, which wasn't to far down. I groaned in mild pain. Argh...what the hell?

I looked over to my side to see a note, partially covered in dust from the ground falling. I could read a part of it.

**To: Larry**

**From: Fawn**

I blinked. "You're kidding me..."

* * *

**Ludwig**

I strolled upstairs to my dormitory to retrieve the key. I was vigilant as I walked, wary from my exchange with Fawn. Her behavior struck me as peculiar and equivocal.

I arrived at my floor, which was dark blue and contained various paintings of me involving my music and conducting, as well as an award for doing such. I paced to my room when I noticed that my door was slightly ajar. My eyes widened, paranoia setting in.

I cautiously entered my room, quietly closing my door. _Did someone intrude? Could it have been Fawn?_

I scrutinized my room, regarding any form of tampering. My room was also dark blue, with tacky music notes and staff line designs on the wall. Those textures had been in my room since I was a child, and I had no heart to be gone with it. There was a dark blue bed, a large closet, a desk where I wrote my music, and a grand piano. The grand piano, however, wasn't enough to fulfill my thirst for music, which only the orchestra room was capable of.

I walked over to my desk when I noticed that there was a cupcake on it. I raised a brow in curiosity. _What in the world...?_

I saw a note in front of the plate, which I picked up to appraise.

**To: Ludwig**

**From: Fawn**

I grew anxious, opening the note to read.

**Dear Ludwig,**

**If you're reading this, it means you wanted to go to the orchestra room, and wouldn't listen to me say no. So I had to lock you in your room. I learned how to from my village. I made it so that the next time it was to close, it would lock, if you're curious...I kind of had to break it to do that. I'm really sorry! Really, I am! I hope you can forgive me...anyways, I left you some food in case you get hungry.**

**Again sorry, please understand!**

**Fawn**

My eyes widened as my situation dawned on me. _Impossible!_

I ran to my door and attempted to unseal it. It wouldn't budge, remaining firmly shut. It was indeed locked.

_She did that? She knew how to?_

I stared on, flabbergasted by this girl's secluded ability. At first, I was merely awed, and slightly indignant. But eventually, I took it in good nature and chuckled.

_Well...it appears I've been bested. By Fawn of all people. She's earnest in her task at least..._

There was the possibility that I could breach the door through brute force. But I refuse to partake in such barbaric actions, like my siblings would. Besides, a gentleman never vandalizes, especially if it sullied his own room. A gentleman also knows when he's lost, and does so gracefully.

Grinning, I approached my piano, temporarily settling for it.

_I feel like writing a song with a rather unexpected twist to conclude it..._

* * *

**Fawn**

I stopped as the other three continued to run.

"What is it?" Junior asked, stopping in place.

"Hm...I think now would be a good time to check on them..." I mused.

"Okay, let's go!" Lemmy said enthusiastically.

I considered bringing them, but decided that if my plan worked, the three caught Koopalings may be a bit embarrassed. I decided not to humiliate them.

"Um...no, I shouldn't let you all out. Besides...I'm sure they want to be alone!"

"But-"

"I promise I'll be back soon. Just all of you stay here until I get back, okay?"

They all frowned, but eventually nodded.

I smiled and said, "I'll be going now." Before I left I turned addressed Wendy. "Um...please don't leave."

"Yeah, yeah," she dismissed.

I smiled and left to my first destination; the kitchen.

* * *

**Larry**

I growled as I read the letter.

**Dear Larry,**

**If you're reading this, you snuck out. I've been observing you...sorry if that offends you! But I noticed you always come to this spot behind the tree...Bowser told me you steal, so I guess you come here to stash things. I figured you might not listen to me, so I asked a guard to help me make a pitfall trap. I made it shallow enough to not hurt you...I'm sorry if you were hurt! I'm really sorry I have to do this...I'll come by soon with food!**

**Please forgive me!**

**Fawn**

_I can't believe this...she really isn't an idiot! I...the Larry Koopa...got caught!? By some girl!? I can't believe this!_

"Um...hi!" a feminine voice called.

I looked up to see Fawn, looking down on me from the edge. I growled.

"You..." I seethed.

"U-um...are you mad?"

I quickly composed myself, regaining my act. What's done is done, getting out was more important. I smiled as sweetly as I could. "Of course not. You did what you had to, for I misbehaved. But it was only to feed the birds! I understand it was wrong though...would you be kind enough to let me go?"

She seemed to consider this. "Um...are you lying?"

"Why, no ma'am!"

"Um...wait no. Someone can lie about not lying...so I think you're lying."

I twitched. "What?"

"Um...you're going to have to stay down there until dinner. Sorry!"

"Please ma'am!"

"I'm sorry!"

I growled in anger. "You little..."

She grew scared. "Oh please forgive me! It's my job! Um...here, I brought you food!" She pulled out a cupcake. "I didn't leave it down there because I thought it'd get smashed. Here!"

She threw it down to me before I could react. It hit me, icing first, right on my snout, sticking to it.

I blinked, stupefied, as she paled. "U-um...bye!"

She quickly ran away as I stood there, shocked.

I roared in anger, before eventually cracking up at the whole situation.

* * *

**Roy**

The note trembled in my hands. It basically said she tricked me in to a cage to do her job right. She left me a cupcake next to the note. I trembled, but not completely in rage. Part of me knew that she was just doing her job...but still, being locked in a cage is embarrassing!

I heard a door opened and Fawn entered the dungeon. My eyes flared.

"Um...are you okay?" she timidly asked.

I acted even angrier then I was. "Bitch! Wad gives ya da right to lock me in here!?"

"W-well...I'm supposed to make sure you don't get in trouble...but you don't listen! So I had to..."

"Screw you! LEMME OUT!"

"I'm sorry, I can't!"

I growled at her menacingly. "I'll kill ya when I get outta here."

"I-I'm prepared for that..."

"You little-"

"Enjoy you're cupcake!" she yelped awkwardly, quickly retreating.

"Hey! Get back here!" I yelled.

She turned around and faced me. She seemed just a little less weak. "Um...I hope you know that I'm not dumb now." She quickly left.

I sat there, actually silenced by her words.

_So I did get to her..._

* * *

**Fawn**

I heard beautiful music coming from inside the room as I knocked on it.

"Ludwig? A-are you in there?" I asked.

He stopped and answered. "Indeed," his muffled voice replied.

"Um...did you enjoy your cupcake?"

"I've matured pass the point of such sophomoric pastries."

"I...hadn't considered that."

"...Thank you for considering my possible needs."

"Oh um...you're welcome," I said, pleased with his behavior. I had expected it, considering his manners. It's also why I risked locking him in his room, which he could easily break out of if he chose to. "Well...I'll be going."

"Wait."

"What?"

There was a pause. "...Well played."

I smiled. "Thank you…" He didn't respond, so I went back to care for the other kids until their dinner.

"Did you find everyone? Did you find at least one? What are they doing? Are they in trouble? Are they all okay?" Morton asked.

"Um...they're all okay, and behaving."

* * *

**Bowser**

I sat at the table for dinner with my family, and Fawn as well. The atmosphere was very weird. Everyone was acting like their normal selves except for three. Ludwig looked like he was in deeper thought than usual, while Larry and Roy looked somewhat conflicted.

"So...how bad did you all behave?" I asked everyone.

Surprisingly, Lemmy and Morton were the only ones who answered.

"Great! We played super fun games!" Lemmy said.

"Yeah! It was super fun! We played tag, and board games, and battle, and charades!" Morton added.

"Oh...so you were all good?" I asked, half hoping they actually were.

"Humph...it wasn't like I was completely good," Junior pouted. I smiled, knowing he liked to act like he wasn't a good kid.

"Well...what about everyone else?"

"I dreamed of many things..." Iggy whispered.

"Eh. I just watched TV, totes bore," Wendy said irately.

"Hm...and the rest of you?" I directed it to the ones acting weird; Larry, Roy, and Ludwig.

When they answered with an uncomfortable silence, Fawn spoke up. "They were well behaved..."

"But they left!" Junior protested.

"They went straight to their rooms," Fawn countered.

I raised a brow. "They did?"

"Well...I'm aware that I did," Ludwig answered.

Larry snickered for whatever reason and Roy made a 'feh' noise.

I looked out at them all, surprised at whatever I was hearing.

_They...behaved? Damn...whatever those 'preparations' Fawn did really worked. She really is...incredible. _I was almost proud of her. _But seriously...how does digging a pit help you babysit?_

"Huh...so nothing happened?" I asked curiously.

Larry was actually the one to speak up, snickering. "I got a cupcake."

* * *

**Wendy**

I trudged my way to my room, actually tired. That day was, like, totally boring. But I did have a girl's day out with Fawn planned out...and that did excite me. Maybe how I reacted to her before was like, a little uncool.

I opened my door when a net suddenly landed on top of me, entangling me.

"AH! Like, wtf!?" I screeched.

* * *

**Fawn**

As I was watching TV, my eyes suddenly flared in realization. _Oh crap...I forgot to take down Plan C in Wendy's room._

* * *

**Hah, Fawn won 1v8. She kicked their spoiled asses :3 well, next time Fawn's with Wendy again. Poor her...byee!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: This took longer then expected to get out, lol. But hey, still less then a week! So last time Fawn proved once and for all she's no fool. Well...she is. In some ways...well, you get the picture. Anyway, now we get that day with Wendy...lol**

**I'm very happy that I've got good reviewers! You all are awesome! Hooray. Lol thank you Angela, Coooool123, TrollingForever, WhiteasSnowyhills, and The Star Of Neo-Nova, whose review was very kind :)**

* * *

Chapter 22: Oh stars it hurts!

I walked to Wendy's room, the meeting place we agreed on. I was rather nervous for this.

Shaking in my feet, I knocked at Wendy's door.

She answered the door, leering at me. "Hello, Fawn," she sneered.

I guess this was just an agreement to get her to behave yesterday...not actually like me.

"I-I'm uh...I'm ready," I said timidly.

She grinned almost maliciously. "You're, like, probably not. But whatevs, not like I care."

"U-um...right."

"Well, let's go, ASAP!" she said, grabbing my hand and tugging me along. "There's like, a stylist in the castle already."

She paced quickly through the castle halls with me in tow, her grip just slightly to tight.

"Um...so uh...what exactly will we do today?" I finally asked.

That grin came back. "We'll start off with the fun part...waxing." The way she said 'fun' made it seem like opposite, which scared me. "Then we visit the castle spa,-" _There's a castle sap!? _"-then she's gonna showcase some of her clothes that we can buy. I wanted to just go to the mall, but apparently you can't, like, do that." She sneered. "Okay, like, no complaining from you. You promised."

"R-right..."

She smiled cruelly. "Great! Let's go then."

She dragged me along to wherever this woman was. I was practically trembling.

"Mm. So you're the human girl?" the Koopa girl greeted cooly.

"U-uh...yes...F-Fawn," I stuttered, intimidated.

"Gina, charmed," she greeted flatly.

"So nice to see you again!" Wendy said happily, hugging the woman.

The woman seemed to brighten a little. "Hello, dear. How have you been?"

"Like, fab as usual. Ugh, my stuff is soooo old now. I can't wait to see what you've got!"

"Indeed..." The woman looked me over. "So...you said begin with waxing?"

"Like, yeah," she said, still with that evil grin.

"Very well. She looks in need of it." She looked at my legs and her face scrunched up ever so slightly. I found the gesture odd, but then she motioned toward the stylist chair that looked recently set up in the generic castle room. "Please, sit."

"U-um...okay," I said submissively, making my way to the chair. I reclined in it as she rummaged through her bag that she had brought with her. She pulled out some sort of tube and strips of some kind that looked similar to tape.

"Okay...now just relax..." she said, approaching me. "Lift up your shorts and sleeves."

I gave her an odd glance from her command, but obliged, rolling up my shorts and sleeves.

"Alright..." she muttered. She took the tube and began to poor it on my shin. It felt warm and soothing, actually making me sigh in pleasure. She coated both of my legs a little more than halfway up the thigh before doing the same to my arms and even part of my face. Content with the feeling, I barely noticed her placing the strips on the parts of my body with the wax. But I did when she ripped one off.

My eyes shot open. "AH!" I screamed, my eyes quickly watering. I looked down to see the spot that had the tape ripped off of it was smooth, red, and hairless.

"Why!?" I forced out, shrinking back.

Gina looked only a little taken aback by this reaction. "Relax, it's just a waxing."

"Why would you do this!? My hair on my leg is gone!" I complained, momentarily forgetting any shyness.

"To look pretty. Seriously, have you ever even shaved your legs before?" she said coldly.

"No!" I replied honestly, never seeing the point in it.

"She's a forest girl," Wendy explained, sighing.

"Ah...I see. Well sorry ma'am, but the princess ordered a waxing, so you'll get one," Gina stated unsympathetically.

I practically whimpered. "Oh stars...why?"

"You'll look pretty."

"Doesn't that attract perverts?" I asked, remembering Cult's advice.

Gina blinked, finally caught off guard. "Well...I guess, but..."

"It attracts handsome guys too!" Wendy added, as if that made it a necessity.

I was about to protest, when she glowered. "A deal's a deal."

_Oh damn… _I shrunk back and nodded weakly, finally accepting my fate.

Gina took hold of another strip.

"OH stars, it HURTS!"

After that painful experience, I was taken to some sort of mineral bath in the castle's spa. The bath refreshed me a little. It helped make me feel less sore at least.

When I got out of the tub, after thoroughly washing myself with what they gave me, the only thing I could find to supply myself with was a bath robe. I shrugged and wore it as I walked outside to see Wendy.

"Well...you look better," she said, actually sounding impressed.

I smiled weakly. "Um...thank you."

She nodded, still observing me, before saying, "Let's go back to Gina. There's a screen set up to change in to our new clothes...like, that'll be mainly for you. I'm just getting, like, new accessories and stuff."

"Oh, um...okay." To be honest, getting more clothes did seem appealing.

We entered the room we'd come from to see Gina waiting with a line of clothes, accessories, shells, and makeup on a table, as well as a two screens for changing set up in the back of the room. Wendy immediately ran up to the makeup and bow section.

"Like, OMS! This stuff is super fab, you've done it again Gina!" she squealed.

Gina grinned, maybe a little smugly. "You're welcome. I've brought the clothes in the size you asked for. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other customers in the castle today. Prince Ludwig has requested for a new shell suit. I'll be back when you've decided what you'd like. Good day." With that, she turned and left the room.

Wendy threw a set of clothes at me and said, "Here, put these on." I caught them as she herself grabbed a shell and walked behind a screen.

I nodded tentatively and went behind the other screen to change in to them.

They were a pair of blue short shorts and a bright blue shirt with a pink butterfly design that fitted me snugly. I noticed there was a mirror in the screen, which showed me how I looked. I didn't like it.

"Hey, come out!" Wendy called.

I obliged and walked out in the new clothes. She immediately scrutinized me, her lip curling. "Hm...no, it doesn't look good. Ugh, like, you don't look good in any bright stuff! Except maybe yellow..."

She sighed and began to rummage through the clothes. "Okay, put on...this." She threw me another pair. I nodded and walked behind the screen again to change.

I noted that I was changing in to a dark purple shirt with a magneta design of a blooming flower near the hip, as well as a lower collar that stretched down farther then I was used to, and a black short skirt. As I was trying them on, a question came to mind that I accidentally vocalized.

"Why does Gina have clothes...?" I immediately clamped my mouth shut.

Surprisingly, her tone was softer than usual. "Some Dragon Koopas and Koopas are, like, in to wearing clothes instead of their shells. It's sort of a hipster trend, and they're expensive. I thought about it, but it's, like, uncool or something for royalty to wear anything but shells. We can't even really switch up our shells, unless it's a special occasion.

I nodded thoughtfully. "Okay...thanks..."

I got out from behind the screen.

Wendy observed me and nodded. "Better..." She paused. "Do you like it?"

I was caught off guard by her almost polite question. "I um...I do. I like it more..." I said truthfully.

She nodded. "That's good..."

She handed me another pair of clothes. "Here, let's see if you look good in these."

I nodded and went back.

As I was changing, she asked me another strange question. "Are you...having fun?"

I stopped changing, confused by the question. "Um...what?"

"I asked if you're having fun," she huffed.

"Oh! W-well um..." I stuttered, trying to come up with a response. "I uh...suppose this is pretty nice..." I guess that wasn't a complete lie. "I...may've overreacted to the makeup...you know, from last time." I'll admit I was lying there.

I heard Wendy sigh. "I guess...I'm like, a little sorry for yelling at you," she finally apologized, hesitantly. "I guess you just weren't used to it, so you didn't like it..."

I smiled in relief, happy that she understood my situation. _Maybe she won't hate me! _"Th-thank you!"

"Yeah...it's just like...you know," she muttered.

I frowned. "No I don't." When she didn't answer, I said, "I'd uh...like to know...if you want!"

She sighed audibly. "It's just that...it's like, uncool, being the only girl in my family. And being such a posh fashionista! So like, I dunno, sometimes I feel a little alone. Or something. I guess I was mad cuz like, I wanted us to be bffs. Since you're a girl and all..."

I frowned, beginning to understand her situation. But there was one thing I didn't understand. "Um...sorry, what's a bff?"

"Uh...basically friends."

I steeled myself for what I was about to do. I walked out to her and tried my best to look confident.

"We could um...still be friends...if you like..." I said timidly.

She was staring at me in shock. I thought it was what I said, but apparently it wasn't. "Um...like, you're not wearing a shirt."

I look down and saw that I'd changed in to the dandelion skirt, but I only had a bra for my torso. I'd forgotten to change fully. I crossed my arms over my chest, upset with my forgetfulness. "Well...th-there's another reason to be friends...so that this is less awkward..."

She actually chuckled at that, finding humor in it. "Hah...that's pretty funny. I guess I can, like, see why my stupid brothers like you...even King Dad..." She smiled tightly. "We could be, like, friends still."

My face lit up, although still shyly. I stretched out a hand, my other arm still covering myself. "Great!"

Wendy took my hand and shook it. I was content that she didn't hate me, although even I could tell this was a tentative friendship.

"Now hurry up and change!" she insisted.

I obliged, walking out in a cream yellow top, that had a cute winking face on the right breast, and a dandelion pencil skirt that went down to my knees.

She grinned. "It's good. Here, now try these two!"

She handed me a cream dress with one slit on the leg and a cream yellow bow around the waist that looked like it'd be snug. I also got what looked like a pair of dark green underwear.

"Um...what is this?" I asked about the underwear.

Her eyes flashed sneakily. "A bikini."

"Um...isn't it underwear?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, it's a swim suit!"

I remembered that the one pair of clothing that more or less all races were subjected to, besides underwear, were swimwear. And they were basically the same thing a lot of the time. "Um...but isn't it...wrong or something? Aren't I supposed to be hiding my body a little?" The swimsuit went against what I'd been taught.

She rolled her eyes again. "It's for the beach. So that makes it okay! Besides, it's not like you'll actually go to the beach."

I understood the logic for beach clothing, I suppose. "But um...why try it on if I won't wear it?"

She groaned. "For fun, Fawn."

I was beginning to realize just how far off her concept of fun was from mine. _Huh...no wonder she has trouble..._

After I tried everything on, Wendy paid Gina, who left. Then Wendy had to go out with friends, so I was left alone. Although she did make sure that I wore the purple shirt and black skirt she'd bought me before she left. I realized that I was starving, so I looked for food. As I walked toward the kitchen, I got strange looks from a few of the guards. I grew nervous, hoping that they didn't find what I was wearing to be dumb.

"F-Fawn?" I heard a voice stutter. I turned to see Jimmy, looking at me in a baffled way. He was red for some reason.

"Hi Jimmy...um, are you free?" I asked.

"Why...?" he drawled, seemingly perplexed.

"Can you help me get some food?" I asked him.

"Uh...sure..."

I smiled. "Great! Let's go!"

I led the way, and I noted that he was trailing a little behind, still sluggish.

"Um...Jimmy, you okay?" I asked, concerned.

"Uh...yes! Yes, totally, uh...did you do something with your...body, today?"

"My body?" I frowned at his weird question. He didn't seem to be focusing… "Well um...Wendy made me get waxed, and she got me some special bath with special soaps, and then I got new clothes...so yeah. Do I look okay?"

"Oh yeah..." he said slowly and thoughtfully.

"Oh, that's good!" I said, pleased.

When we made it to the kitchen, I bumped in to a certain someone.

**Bowser**

I had just asked for some food to be sent to my room for dinner, when in bumped in to someone.

"Oh, sorry Bowser!" the person apologized. I looked down to see Fawn...I think. I stopped to observe her when my eyes widened. She looked very…different.

She looked very…pretty. Well…the word I think I should be using was down right hot. She was wearing a dark purple shirt with a flower design that fitted her snugly. That, plus the low collar line, exaggerated her breasts much more than usual. I ended up staring at the visible cleavage for just a second before snapping my eyes away.

"What?" I spat involuntarily, looking away.

"Um...I said I was sorry for bumping in to you..."

"It's okay!" I said, a little to loud. I mentally kicked myself, feeling like a fumbling retard.

"Um...that's good...are you okay?" She was concerned.

I breathed and composed myself, seeing that I was freaking her out. I turned back to her, meeting her eyes. I knew I was overreacting a little, but I was not expecting her to look this good.

"I'm fine..." I said deliberately.

"Okay...where are you going?"

"Not a lot of my kids are around, so I planned on eating in my room."

"Oh, that's-" She was interrupted by her own stomach growling.

I chuckled, forgetting about her appearance a little. "Hungry?"

She nodded shyly. "Yeah..."

"If you go in the kitchen, they'll probably give you some food."

"Oh thanks!" she said, relieved and happy. "Bye!" She wasted no time rushing in to the room.

While she was moving, I saw something flutter.

I looked down and saw she was wearing a black short skirt that went up when she ran. Her tone legs were revealed, and they looked...different.

_They look really good...did she get them shaved or something?_

I hadn't really noticed her appearance to much before, so I didn't really care that her legs were a little hairy. But all smooth like that…damn. And then there was where her tall legs finally ended, which was pretty well shown off in the skirt… Once she left, I realized I had been gawking at her legs like an idiot. I quickly snapped out of it and looked around, flustered, in case someone saw me like that.

There was only a Koopa Troopa, but he seemed to have been gawking at her as well. I don't know why, but that pissed me off.

"What do you think you're looking at?" I growled.

He jumped in place and stared at me timidly. "I-I'm sorry! Um uh…I should've known not to stare at her, I mean considering..."

"Considering what?" I asked, still angry at him.

He froze. "Um...nothing! Sorry for staring at you're hot girlfriend!"

I was really pissed now, and he seemed to realize it, as he quickly tried to fix his mistake. "Ah! I mean, you're friend! Friend that's a girl! And she's not hot! Or I mean...she is, but...uh-"

"LEAVE!" I roared.

He nodded quickly and dashed off. Little snot was lucky I was to tired to actually punish him.

I sighed and walked off to my room._ I wonder what Fawn did to look so hot...I mean damn, she might be on Peach's level!_

I caught that thought and tried to shove it out of my mind. _No, no…she's not as cute as Peach. No one is. _But, at the very least, I had to admit to myself that she was attractive.

_Uh, yes. She's my...attractive...friend._

* * *

**So Wendy and Fawn have a tentative truce kinda going. So that's good...I'm trying to make the relationships more authentic, so not everyone's like 'holy crap this girl's AWESOME BLAHSAODSDDJS!' Cuz you know what we call that? A Mary Sue. Who hates Mary Sue's? Well...most people, but especially me I think XD**

**Also...Fawn's hot now. Yayyy. I think that's fair; as Cult's stated before, she'd look as pretty as the other human girls if she got the same pampering. Well now she does. So I think it's fair. Plus, it looks like Bowser's noticed ;) as did Jimmy...oh my pervy OC...**

**Well, until next time, R&R. Byee**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Hey. So, here's the shortest chapter in a while. Whoops ^^'**

**Bowser: Is that why I'm here?**

**Me: Well, might as well. I've only got 1k+ words so far, so I might as well screw around on an A/N. So, thoughts on the story Bowser?**

**Bowser: Yeah, you're making me look like a confused jackass.**

**Me: Um...Fawn?**

**Fawn: Oh um...the plot is confusing me...**

**Me: Plot? How!? There is no plot yet!**

**Fawn: Exactly...that confuses me. Aren't stories supposed to...?**

**Me: Hey, why don't you two just go make out!? Or do you need ANOTHER 90k+ for that?**

**Fawn & Bowser: ...**

**Me: Thought so.**

**Well, me being dumb aside, thanks Angela and WhiteasSnowyhills! Oh, by the way. I realized maybe me thanking people for reviewing may make some people feel awkward..so if you don't want me to, just say so in a review. Or in a PM (I don't know how to do that lol) well enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 23: An intellectual game of class

Fawn

I had just eaten a breakfast delivered to me by Jimmy, who left once I finished. So I, too, left my room, wandering aimlessly for something to do. I was actually planning to look for a Koopaling or Bowser, when a voice called to me.

"Salutations, Fawn."

I turned my head to see Ludwig standing behind me in the hall.

"Oh...um, hello," I greeted shyly. I was scared if he was angry from when I locked him in his room.

"If you could entertain my curiosity, what activities do you plan to partake in this fine day?"

_Activities...partake..._ I pieced together his sentence. "I um...don't have anything to do..."

He stroked his chin. " Well then…if you have no scheduled activities for today, perhaps you'd be interested in...better acquainting ourselves."

I blinked, once again slowly processing his words. "Um...are you asking me to hang out with you?"

He sighed. "In Laman's terms, yes."

I didn't know who that was, but I knew that he asked me to hang out with him, which made me happy. _Maybe he won't hate me if I impress him!_ "Um...s-sure! I'd really like that...if you'd like."

"Yes. Where shall we hold this meeting?" he asked courteously.

"Um...how about your room?" I asked.

He frowned. "Are you sure? That is a peculiar choice for our first time formally greeting."

I backtracked. "S-sorry...the other Koopalings have been bringing me to their rooms, so I just assumed..."

He considered this. "Hm...very well. I suppose our social classes and occupation forbade this from being truly…obscene."

"Um...yeah..."

He held out his arm in a sort of triangle, or a loop. "Shall we?"

I realized what he wanted me to do. Finding it a little odd, I nevertheless looped my arm through his, wondering if it was some sort of custom. "Uh...we shall."

We walked off to his room, arm and arm.

"Chess?" I spoke aloud. We were sitting on his bed, a set chessboard between us.

"Indeed," he affirmed. "Are you familiar with the rules?"

"Um...yeah," I said, faintly recollecting the rules. _You capture the king..._

"Exemplary. Shall we begin?"

I nodded, and he made the first move. I observed the piece he moved, and I observed mine. The individual abilities of each piece were coming back to me. After analyzing each possible move, I moved a pawn.

After playing for a while, I formulated a good plan. I think Ludwig realized this, as his eyes flashed for just a second. The game became even, with me containing a seemingly natural skill, while Ludwig had intelligence and experience. It stayed even until eventually my concentration broke. Ludwig won in the end.

"Checkmate," Ludwig said, trapping my king.

I blinked at the board. "Oh...well, good game..."

Despite winning, he frowned. "I couldn't help but perceive that you're aptitude deteriorated as the game progressed."

I blinked, forcing myself to focus. "Um...I'm sorry...?"

He shook his head. "You're a peculiar girl, to be sure. Your attention is ephemeral." He sighed before actually smiling good naturedly. "But it is keen when lasting. It's rare that I've been equaled in a game of intellect."

I smiled at him. "Thanks..."

He hummed in thought. "Indeed, it appears I've judged you in a rather cursory manner. You are not insipid, as you may have come off. Forgive me for my lack of manners. It's an honor to have become better acquainted with you."

I took that as a cue. "Does that mean...we're friends?"

He blinked. "I wouldn't classify us in to such a rudimentary relationship...but if it pleases you, we could be considered such."

I grinned. "Thank you." I was, however, starting to become better familiarized with the world. I think he too was a more tentative friend.

He smiled politely. "So shall we consider this meeting adjourned? I must practice my music."

I considered leaving, but when I saw his piano beside him, a request came to mind. "Um...may I ask you for a favor?"

He quirked a brow. "What is it?"

"Would you...play for me?"

He looked slightly surprised by my offer, before regaining his cool. "I...could oblige."

I grinned. "Thank you."

He nodded before taking his seat at the piano. His claws brushed on the keys and began to play a soft, melodious music.

I sighed contently, greatly enjoying the music. I never got to hear much music back home, so just hearing a new piece was beautiful to me. I closed my eyes as I soaked in his amazing playing.

_Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. _

_Benedicta tu in mulieribus, _

_et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. _

"You're acquainted with this piece?"

I snapped my eyes open to see Ludwig's inquisitive stare. I blushed when I realized I had sung.

"Oh uh...yeah," I awkwardly answered. "It's come on the radio back in my village, so it's one of the few songs I know...Ave Maria, right?"

He nodded. "Affirmative. I was just playing my favorite piano arrangement of the song because you seemed to have no qualms otherwise. It's a rather popular song, so I suppose it is not entirely unexpected for you to be familiar with the piece"

"Yeah..."

He looked at me thoughtfully. "You have a surprising amount of depth to your voice...a certain passion. Granted, the tone could improve, and there's a lack of any technique...but you surprisingly have that."

I took that all as a compliment, smiling. "Thanks...I don't know, sometimes if just feels good to sing."

He smiled back. I noticed that his face lit up with the most passion and love I'd ever seen him with. "Indeed it does. I wouldn't be able to tolerate and progress through daily life in the case of music's absence."

"Right..."

We sat in silence until he cleared his throat. "Well...it appears I must depart for supper."

I blinked dumbly, realizing the time. "Oh, of course. I'll um...be going."

"Thank you for taking the time to better know each other," Ludwig said courteously. "You are an...interesting individual, with a strong intellect. You have gained my...respect, to a shallow degree at least."

"Um...thanks! I'll see you later!"

"Yes, tomorrow, if I recall." He nodded.

I rose a brow. "Tomorrow?"

'Yes, if I recall, you are to be supervising my siblings and I once more."

My eyes widened. "Oh no!" Saying no more, I quickly bolted out of the room.

* * *

I quickly began to formulate a plan, rapidly gathering random materials to make traps. I was rather panicked, actually.

_Oh damn, no one informed me! I don't have enough time to make a game plan! Crap, they'll destroy the castle if I don't think fast! Um...Larry and Roy are the only real problems. Maybe if I can pay one of Larry's tipsters...Fawn...and if I can lead Roy...Fawn...and maybe-_

"Fawn!"

I quickly turned my head to see Bowser, yelling my name to get my attention. I sighed once I confirmed who it was.

"Bowser...you didn't warn me that if be babysitting tomorrow!" I huffed.

He raised a brow. "What's the mater with that? And what are you doing?"

"Making preparations! I told you, you can't keep these kids under control unless you're prepared!" I said exasperatedly, still searching for a good rope.

He crossed his arms. "How prepared do you need to be? And shouldn't you be prepared anyways? It's your job. And you won't have to do it long anyway; the day after tomorrow everyone's going back to school."

I blushed a little. "Um...I guess I didn't think about it, so I didn't make preparations beforehand. I was having to much fun..."

He laughed out loud. "Of course, sometimes I forget this castle is the pinnacle of fun."

"Don't see how you would..." I muttered.

"Geez, you forget a lot don't you?" he teased, not hearing me.

"Yeah...I do..." My eyes widened in realization. "How long have I been here?"

He raised a brow. "Two days and two nights. Why?"

"I think I may need to go home soon..."

He looked dejected for just a second, but he quickly got that nonchalance back. "Why? It's not like you've been here long."

"I know...but I promised my dad I'd be home soon, and I forgot about him last time, so I think I should go soon...besides, your kids are leaving soon, right?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "Okay...I mean, if you want, whatever."

I nodded solemnly, feeling just as sad that I had to leave. "Thank you...I better get back to work..."

I was just leaving when he called after me. "Wait."

I turned back around. "What is it?"

He looked like he was thinking. "You know...we're both new to this, so I guess I understand why you're not ready...just don't do it again. But since you're not ready, and I have a free day tomorrow..." He cleared his throat. "Why don't we all just go out and do something?"

I blinked, confused by his preposition. "By something you mean...?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I'll come up with something! But you, my kids, and I could all go out somewhere. If you don't want to, that's-"

"No!" I said quickly, shaking my head. The idea, now that I understood it, made me very excited. "That sounds great! Tell me when you come up with what you what to do!" I laughed and smiled largely. "Oh this'll be so much fun! You, me, and the Koopalings! I can't wait!"

He chuckled. "It is a good idea, isn't it? I mean, I came up with it."

"That's right!" I said, laughing. "Well, off to dinner with you! You've got to tell your kids!"

He chuckled. "Right, right. See you tomorrow."

"Bye!"

After Bowser left, I took off happily to my own room, eager for the day.

* * *

**Sorry it was so short ^^' I just didn't feel the need to overindulge in Ludwig's chapter. But tomorrow, they'll all spend the day together. Hooray! Enjoy the next one, lol. Read, review, fav, whatever, byee**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hey. So now we get to find out where they're all going. It'll be really fun and fuffy, so won't that be great lol.**

**Thank you WhiteasSnowyhills! And lol Coooool123 Roy's a tough one XD and good question. I've been meaning to post this at some point anyway. Lol here are the Koopalings ages.**

**Ludwig: 17**

**Lemmy: 16**

**Roy: 15**

**Iggy: 14**

**Wendy: 13**

**Morton: 12**

**Larry: 11**

**Junior: 4**

**And for the hell of it:**

**Fawn: 21**

**Bowser: 33**

**Peach: 28**

**Enjoy, it's a longer one!**

* * *

Chapter 24: Sand and salt

**Fawn**

I walked toward the dining hall, eager to eat breakfast with Bowser and his family, when I was suddenly grabbed by the arm.

"Fawn! Is that you?"

I looked to see who it was, and to my delight, it was Tina. I smiled largely.

"Tina!" I said happily, hugging her. "It's been so long!"

She laughed and hugged back. "It has! When did you get here? Why are you here?"

I chuckled, knowing how disorganized this castle was. "Bowser said I was the only one good enough to babysit his kids, so he hired me..."

"Well how about that! It's great to see you!" She stepped back and whistled. "Especially when you look this good! Damn, what did you do?"

I looked down and chuckled. _Wow...everyone's noticing!_ "Well...Wendy made me get a waxing and a spa treatment. She also got me some clothes..." I looked down at the cream yellow top with the winky face and the tight dandelion skirt. I didn't like them to much, they felt restricting.

"Hm...I see. This does seem like Princess Wendy's taste..." she said thoughtfully, observing. She sighed. "Which means it's not yours; it's a teenage girl's."

I thought about it and shrugged. "I guess so..."

She beamed and said, "Well, now that I know you may be coming more often, I'll have to make you some more clothes! And they'll be more you, but still cute."

I beamed, as I loved the clothes Tina made. "Thank you so much! That'd be nice."

"No problem! Where are you headed, anyway?"

"Oh, I have breakfast with Bowser and his kids."

She chuckled. "Ah, he seems to like you. Don't worry, when I make you those clothes, you'll be landing the king in no time." She winked.

I cocked my head. "Land the king? What?"

She chuckled again. "Don't worry about it Cookie. Have fun with that man!"

Saying that, she quickly hurried off, most likely as busy as ever.

I smiled, happy that I finally got to see her again, before continuing my way toward the dining hall.

* * *

**Bowser**

Everyone's head turned when we heard the door. In walked Fawn, in a new get up, that also exposed her more then I was used to. As I observed her attire, I locked on to the one design on her tight shirt. I quickly looked away, slightly embarrassed.

_Damn, I hate it when shirts do that!_

"Uh, hey everyone," she greeted from across the room. I noted that she was a little less shy addressing us all.

"Fawn!" Junior said eagerly, rushing out of his seat to grab her hand. "Come on, I got you a seat next to me and King Dad!"

"Hah, thanks Junior," she replied happily, following him to her seat.

I smiled as she sat next to me. I noticed that she smelled good.

"Morning Fawn," I greeted.

"Morning Bowser!" she greeted happily.

Our food quickly came, no more being said. The ordinary morning chaos began and there was no conversation until Fawn finally spoke.

"Fo...wad're we gonna do today?" she asked me, her mouth full.

I paid no heed to her crudeness, focusing on her question. _Oh crap...I was supposed to come up with something for us to do! _I quickly began to rack my brain for something. "Um...uh..."

My mind drifted to chatter in the background. Specifically Wendy's screechy voice.

"Ugh, like, it's so hot! I feel so like, gross."

_Hot?_

"Well, maybe you can get a tan? Doesn't that sound fun? For you at least. Because you like being pretty, and tanning your scales is something you talk about, so-"

"Okay, like, quit while you're ahead Morton, cuz that's actually a pretty fab idea."

_Tan...wait..._

I slammed a hand on the table in an epiphany. "We can go to the beach!"

I ended up saying it a little to loud, as everyone heard me, stopping to stare

"The...beach?" Fawn repeated.

Once I had thought about it, the beach may've been a bad idea. "Well...I've got a beach I can rent out, if you-"

"I'd love to!" she exclaimed eagerly. I smiled warmly at her enthusiasm, relieved that she was for the idea.

"The beach? Oh boy! That'll be so much fun!" Junior cheered, now bouncing in his seat.

"Yeah, I can't wait to bring some toys!" Lemmy added cheerfully.

"Alright! I can do so much there! I can swim, or build a sand castle, or sleep, or read! Maybe I'll read about marine biology! Did you know that jellyfish are over ninety percent water, and-"

"Ugh, finally! I can tan my scales, they're getting pasty, totes gross. Guess I can, like, put up with you guys for that."

"Oh I don't know...my adversary, King Cheep Cheep, may not be so pleased with my presence..." Iggy whispered.

"Sure, why not? I could go for some beach fun," Larry said neutrally.

Roy and Ludwig were not so willing.

"Must I partake in such immature customs? I don't see it necessary to waste such serviceable time," a Ludwig muttered dismally.

"Aw come on! I don't wanna spend time at da stupid beach," Roy complained.

I growled and said, "You're all going. I don't trust any of you to stay here alone."

Roy began to interrupt. "But pops-"

"No buts! You're doing this. We need to spend time with each other as a family anyway, so deal with it," I seethed.

Roy growled back before slouching back in bitter acceptance. _He's always been a rebellious soul, but he's gotten worse lately..._

Ludwig sighed and said, "What an insipid day this shall be..."

Fawn continued to practically glow with excitement. "Oh this'll be so much fun! I've never been to the beach before...I've never seen the ocean! Oh I can't wait..."

I was very content with how happy she was with my idea as Wendy spoke up. "Like, see? Now you get to wear that super cute bikini I got you!"

"Oh right...thank you Wendy!"

At the talk of swimsuits, I slowly began to blush. I wasn't to nervous about taking off my shell. I mean, it's an awkward thing for Koopas to do around people, but I'm not a shy person. Plus Fawn's my friend, I'm sure she wouldn't tease me. But the idea of seeing Fawn in a bikini got me flustered for some reason.

"Bowser?"

"Huh?" I turned my head to meet Fawn's questioning gaze.

"When do we leave?"

I considered this. "Hm...I'll ask Kamek to get the preparations in order, and we all need to get changed...so around thirty minutes."

"Okay! Thanks again!"

I smiled at her genuine happiness. "You're welcome."

* * *

**Kamek**

I sat in my office, doing paperwork, when I received a call.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, it's me." I recognized it as Bowser.

"Ah, milord! So good to hear from you. How are you spending your free day?"

"Well...that's sort of why I called. I need your help."

"What is it?"

He cleared his throat. "I'm bringing my family to the beach. We haven't had a family day in a while, so I figured I might as well use this as a good time."

I smiled tiredly. I was upset that I had more work now, but happy that he took the opportunity to be with his kids. He was a good father, he could just be to busy sometimes. "Well, that's very nice of you. I'll reserve SulfurSide Sea and prep up the Warship Model 5 for you."

"Thanks."

I was about to hang up, when I noticed something was off about him. He was hiding something, and I remembered what it could be. "So...just you and your kids?" I asked sneakily.

There was a long pause. "...Maybe Fawn's coming too."

I smiled warmly. "Well...I'm glad that-"

_Click._

I looked at the phone, seeing he'd hung up. I rolled my eyes, still smiling. Now I really didn't mind doing this.

Fawn

After I had changed in to my old clothes over my bikini, Junior had come to take me to the hangar. I would've gotten lost, since it was apparently a different one.

Once there, I was awestricken. Standing in front of me were four SkyShips, with a ninth one in the middle of construction. Each one was gigantic, a few stories tall! They're design was creative...almost magical. I stood there, completely awed by them, until a certain bass snapped me out of it.

"Impressed?" Bowser asked smugly.

"Yes!" I said excitedly, turning t greet him. "They're incredible! You helped make all these!?"

He grinned proudly and crossed his arms. "That's right. Helped build and made the design for all of them."

"Are we...taking this?"

"That's right."

I squealed and rushed to him, grabbing his arms. "Oh Stars! Which one?"

He looked at me oddly, before chuckling at me. "I know it's pretty badass, but you need to calm down!"

He took my hand, maybe with just a touch of hesitance, before leading me to the smallest, most simple SkyShip.

"The Model 4. It's the first one I could really get to work, so it doesn't have much in terms of technology and warfare. So I use it for long trips, or when there's to many people for the Clown Copter."

I observed the SkyShip. I was a little disappointed that we were taking the least impressive one, but I was still incredibly eager.

"Oh boy! Come on, come on, come on!" I said excitedly, bouncing up and down.

He laughed heartily. "Calm down, the family's already inside. Let's go."

"Right!" I said cheerily, rushing up a ladder inside the SkyShip.

* * *

**Roy**

I watched her from my room on the ship. She was just standing on the deck, arms spread out, and enjoying the breeze. Junior and Lemmy were acting like retards and trying to play a game with her when they were thousands of feet in the air, and I had the feeling Morton was jabbering her ear off.

I found myself observing her. She was just standing there, and I could tell from where I stood that she had a tranquil grin on her face. She looked so calm and content...and her hair fluttered behind her in the breeze, her face finally being completely free of it, and the sunlight glowing on her face.

I blinked, realizing I was staring. I looked away, shaking my head. I tried to tell myself she was just a dumb broad, but I knew she wasn't after all. Part of me wanted to know what the big damn deal about her was...why my family was practically gushing over her.

I looked down and saw pops watching her. He looked happy, which made me growl. _That dumbass better not be thinking about her like that...he should know better than that._

Sighing, I sat down at my desk, pen in hand.

* * *

**Fawn**

We touched down right on a vacant parking lot, which I wasn't sure was allowed. I suddenly grew fearful as I turned to Bowser.

"Um...I just realized...are there people here?"

"Nah, I rented it," he assured, smiling smugly. "Yep, this is my own private beach that I can rent out whenever I want."

My eyes widened in awe. "Wow..."

As he glowed with pride, his children began to run toward a sand path in front of the lot that was surrounded by obstructing tall grass. I quickly forgot about Bowser and ran with them, excited to see the beach.

I ran almost desperately toward the sound of the waves, stumbling along the way.

I tripped on the powdery sand once I finally made it to the other side. I looked up and I saw the beauty of the sea. The sand perfectly framed the majestic ocean, which was a bright blue, with the sun glaring off of it beautifully. I could smell the salt, and feel the ocean breeze tickling my skin, the soft sand hugging my legs, the bright sun warming my body. I closed my eyes and just sat there, absorbing it all, until I was hoisted up.

Bowser was grinning down at me, carrying some beach gear. "You like?"

My face broke in to a smile. "Yes! Yes, I love it! Thank you!" I squeezed his shell as tightly as I could.

He paused for a moment before chuckling. "Um...no problem. Well, you want to swim now?"

I pushed away immediately, excited to start. "Yeah!"

I was about to rush off when he grabbed my arm. "Not that I'm suggesting anything, but aren't you going to change?"

I blinked dumbly as I looked out to the Koopalings, their positions scattered. But what I noticed about them was their shells were off! In its place were swim trunks, a bikini in Wendy's place. They all looked almost humanoid, as besides the scales and color, they're muscles and bone structure seemed to be the same. I noticed that all their forms looked very different without the shells. Wendy actually had a good, slim figure...and boobies! And Roy was well muscled, and Morton showed a little fat, while everyone else seemed to be of a normal stature.

"Um...right." I turned back to him. "What about you?"

"Um...right." He chuckled. "Hang on."

He did some sort of a suction thing to his shell, and he somehow popped out of it. In its place he wore red swim trunks. I was curious what he'd look like, but I ended up staring. He did have a little fat I suppose...but only a little. Despite it, his abdomen was so strong that he still had a faint six pack! He also had beg pecs...and now that I saw him in this context, his arms were huge too...and the sun shined on his face, making him look...weird. _Wait, weird's not the right word. What do I mean then?_

"Fawn!"

"Huh?"

He chuckled. "Well, have fun checking me out? Have fun checking my muscles?"

He flexed a bicep and made a cocky face as I grinned. "Well yeah! I knew you were muscular, but I didn't think you were that much!"

He looked at me bizarrely as I said, "Oh yeah, I need to change to!"

With that, I quickly tore my clothes off, my skin exposed from my bikini. I sighed as the sun began to beat on it, and I reclined my head slightly. "Ah...that feels nice..."

"Oh damn..."

I stopped lounging and looked back to Bowser. He seemed to be gawking at me.

"Um...Bowser?"

He seemed to snap out of it, as his eyes widened and he quickly shook his head. He had a faint blush. "Uh...hey, why don't you go swim now? Yeah, go do that Fawn! I've got to set up, so see you!"

He gave me a gentle shove, and in his terms of gentle he almost made me fall, before rushing to the spot some other Koopalings already were.

I shrugged before smiling largely and running toward the sea.

I didn't stop until the foamy water reached out in a wave to touch my feet. My folly grew as I plunged forward until the water went up to my waist. I realized how cold it was and stopped, shivering briefly.

"Cold?" Junior asked, paddling to me, not tall enough to stand even in this shallow water.

I looked around at everyone. Lemmy, Junior, and I were the only ones in the water. Everyone besides Larry, who had mysteriously vanished, was at the spot set up on the shore.

I smiled at Junior and said, "Yeah. It's my first time at the beach!"

"Do you know how to swim?"

"Yeah, there was a lake I used to swim in back home..." I smiled, fondly remembering the lake. It was just as beautiful as this beach, in my opinion.

"Well then you should know that just getting all the way in makes it less cold!" Junior laughed.

"Well...I don't want to right away!" I said, pouting.

"Well then...let me help you!" He giggled and splashed my face with water.

I stood for a moment, shocked and cold, before laughing and splashing back.

Eventually Lemmy joined in, and soon we were all having a full on splash fight.

We went on like that for Stars knows how long, just frolicking and enjoying ourselves. Until Bowser got involved, sneaking up on us from underwater when we weren't paying attention.

"Up you go!" he yelled, rising out of the water from underneath the four of us. His arms were directly underneath us, and with how big they were, he managed to lift all four of us! Junior and I were sitting on his left arm, Morton and Lemmy on his right. I was astonished that he could support Morton with one arm, not that he was that chubby.

"And...dradamo!" he yelled, flipping us backwards in to the water. I fell down to the ocean floor, and I simply lied there, confused of what happened.

I slowly got out of the water and opened my eyes to see Bowser, laughing his ass off. I laughed as well, splashing him. This started another splash fight, this time with his ridiculous amount of arm span to make gigantic waves.

Eventually I splashed him right in the face, which made him roar. He suddenly lunged forward and picked me up. As I yelped and laughed, trying to get out, he threw me in to the water. I quickly resurfaced, only to see Bowser and the kids running back to the shore, laughing. I laughed gleefully as I ran after them.

We soon began to play games in the sand that, with reluctance, Bowser joined. We made sand castles, sand figures, and we even buried each other. I got everyone to bury me, and the warm sand felt wonderful.

I also listened to Wendy some and sun bathed. She actually complimented my skin, but insisted I'd look better after a deeper tan. So I lounged back and drifted half asleep with a KeroCola...this didn't end well.

"AH!" I yelled as I felt sand dump on my face. While I was blinded, I felt something cool and sticky pour on my stomach; my KeroCola. I heard a cruel laugh as I lied there, disoriented.

"You look like you can use a dip!" It was Roy. I felt myself get carried by strong arms, and before I knew I knew it I was thrown in the water. The water was significantly colder nlw, as it was later, and I felt the difference.

When I resurfaced, Roy was close at the shore, laughing at me.

I began to process the situation and I heard an angry Bowser. "Roy! You little..."

I burst out laughing. I knew that he did it to be mean...but for some reason I found it hilarious! I was lounging one moment, and then I was freezing the next! I found that very funny.

Roy stared at me, confused and irate, before storming off.

I chuckled and moved back toward my chair, although I was sluggish for some reason. I checked for my snack, but chuckled when it wasn't there. _Larry must've got it._

"You okay?" Bowser asked, approaching me.

I smiled and said, "Y-Yeah, it's f-fine! I-It was actually p-pretty funny!" I noticed my breaking voice.

He remained deadpan as he said, "Well...you seem cold. Here, I got you a towel."

He got out a towel he was carrying and wrapped it around my shoulders. I relished at the feeling of warming relief from the cold. But I realized it was only from his arms, because as soon as he retracted them, the cold came back, despite the towel hanging around me.

"Something wrong?" he asked, noticing my discontent.

"Um..." I stuttered, suddenly feeling awkward. _Why do I feel awkward? ...What do I want to do?_

"What's up?"

I backtracked. "I-it's…nothing."

"You sure. Doesn't look like nothing," he teased.

I gulped, beginning to realize what I wanted. "Well um...could you...?"

"Yeeees?"

"Could you hold me?" I found myself asking.

He blinked slowly, not expecting that. "Uh...what?"

I began to panic, feeling nervous. "I-I mean uh...you don't have to! I'm just cold, and you're really warm...so it'd only be for a little!"

Bowser paused before finally, slowly, saying, "Sure..."

I smiled shyly. "Thank you."

We both stood there awkwardly before deciding on sitting on a blanket first. Once seated, I scooted toward him. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, lightly pulling me in. I instantly felt the warmth, and internally sighed in relief from the cold.

Slightly snuggled against him, I looked out to the sea. The sun was setting, turning the sky in to that beautiful purple this land has, and it reflected in the water, making the water seem magical. I was so mesmerized by this; I didn't even realize how close I was to Bowser until he spoke.

"You comfy?"

I noticed I had really settled in, my head resting on the side of his chest. I blushed a little, but I didn't move. It felt to nice. "Yeah...is this okay?"

"...Yeah."

"So...did you have fun?"

I smiled lightly, but happily. "Yes...I had the best time. Thank you so much..."

I twisted my head to see his warm smile. "Cool...I did too. So did the kids."

I looked at the kids. Some were gone, some were reading, and some were sleeping. I smiled from my spot on his chest. It felt so warm...it was firm, but comfy. And there was something just about being like this with him that I liked...

I turned back to Bowser, when I stopped to observe his face. The dimming light shined on his face, his strong, roguish features popping out at me. There was that word popping in to my mind again that I just couldn't identify...

I couldn't help but stare at him, and eventually he noticed. But instead of saying anything, he stared back for a little, almost like he was observing me back. But it ended, as he asked, "You warm?"

I decided to be polite sand retract from him, nodding. I realized the time and sighed. "We should get going..."

He realized what I was saying, and he actually sighed before catching himself. "Right. I'll get the kids."

He began to leave, but I felt the warmth still in me. Not the literal one…the weird one, inside me. I wanted to say something... "Hey Bowser?"

"Hm?"

I smiled. "You're awesome."

* * *

**Bowser**

"So those are the coordinates, huh?" I asked Kamek over the phone as I piloted the SkyShip.

"Yes. Forest Village is a little closer than the Mushroom Kingdom. You'll be there by nightfall."

"Okay," I said blankly.

"Are you upset that she's leaving?"

I growled lightly. "She did her job and is leaving. Whatever."

"Well, maybe-"

"Bye."

I hung up quickly, annoyed with him, before inputting the coordinates. I turned to the servant next to me.

"Here, fly this," I ordered.

He nodded quickly, and rushed to the controls. "Y-Yes sir!"

I grunted and walked to my room. On the way there I saw Fawn on the deck, just watching the view. She was pretty...but not as pretty as she was in a bikini. _Damn, I didn't know she looked like that... _I watched her for a moment before opting to go to my room to rest.

I woke up from my nap once the ship landed. _So...she's leaving._

I grabbed the sack of coins on my desk before I walked out to the deck. I saw standing by the railing of the deck, which was a little odd.

_Why is she just standing there? Is she waiting?_

I approached her and noticed she was dozing off. I chuckled and she snapped out of it.

"Huh...wha...?" she said drearily. She turned to me. "Oh...hey Bowser..."

"Did you just stand here the whole ride?"

"Um...the view was pretty..."

For some reason I found that kind of cute. "It is pretty, yeah."

"...So, I'm leaving now?" _Did she seem sad?_

"Yeah...thanks for the help. Here's your pay," I said, handing her the sack of coins.

She felt the bag and frowned. "Um...it feels heavy..."

I looked away and said, "Maybe I put in a little tip."

She frowned, obviously not happy. "But-"

"It was easier to just give you this amount is all," I said gruffly. And untruthfully.

But she seemed to be tired enough to buy it, as she shrugged and nodded. "Okay...thanks."

She shook her head, as if waking herself up, and she smiled. "Thank you for everything…I had a lot of fun!"

I looked back and cracked a small smile. "Yeah...I had a great time too."

"Well um...I'll see you later." _Was she dejected?_

"Yeah..."

There was an awkward silence until she finally asked, "Will there…be a later?"

I thought about this briefly before I smiled. "Count on it."

She smiled back before she moved forward and hugged me. But it wasn't like the other hugs...she allowed herself to nuzzle her face in to my torso. I unintentionally smiled, enjoying the more involved affection. "Bye Bowser."

* * *

**Fawn**

I walked home from the SkyShip, which had parked in front of the village. It was nighttime, which meant the village had gone to sleep. I walked the dark, barren road to my home.

I stood in front of the familiar cabin and smiled at the nostalgic scene, with the light on in the window. I knocked on the door, which was answered somewhat quickly by my father.

"Hello..." He trailed off when he saw me. He smiled largely and exclaimed, "Fawn!"

I smiled and stopped to hug him, happy to see him. "Hello Cult. How are you?"

He laughed aloud. "How about me? How are you!?" He grew concerned. "Nothing bad happened at Bowser's, right? Are you okay?"

I shook my head tiredly. "I'm fine...I had lots of fun, but I'm tired now...I need to go to sleep."

Cult knew how I got when I was tired, and knew better then to try and stop me as I trudged to my bed. But he seemed to be disappointed with the conversation. "But..."

"Oh...and here's my pay," I said distantly, dropping the sack on the floor.

I vaguely recall reaching my room and collapsing on the bed. The last thing I remember hearing was a scream.

"HOLY CRAP! HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET A THOUSAND COINS!?"


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: ARGH! So I basically thought that I lost this chapter, so I had to redo a whole part, only to find I had just saved it under another name. ANNOYING! Now...because of this, I lost the moral to proofread some of this chapter. Oh well :/ By the way, you may've noticed the change in name. THIS IS THE LAST ONE, PROMISE. Lol in truth, I was actually planning to make this a two part book, and the name would tie in to that. But then I realized how long this book is going to be...so no. Lol. I also added arcs now, it's a little change. Ch 1-17 is arc 1: The People we Meet, and Arc 2 is from 18-25. So it's no biggie. Also, I realized I haven't been doing many of Fawn's crazy daydream trips lately. So lol I brought it back a little.**

**Thank you new reviewer Marchingkitty for being nice =^.^=**

**Coooool123: Lol holy crap so I just read your story, you're gonna think I'm copying you with Roy later XD**

**Angela: Hah, now you see how I think ;)**

**WhiteasSnowyhills: Ok, super random. But Angela's idea (which will be implemented) made me remember that you actually recommended an idea that I had somehow never came up with! Fawn going out with someone besides Bowser. I remember being like 'Damn! Future drama idea!' but I forgot to thank you. So here's my late thank you! :) and also about Bowser having the guts to ask her out... wheeeeeeeee**

**that is all**

**Without futher ado, let's begin the final chapter of the second arc: The Bonds we Form!**

* * *

Chapter 25: Late night rendezvous

**Bowser**

I looked out at my children at the dinner table. Once again, it was the weekend. And, once again, they were staying at the castle for it. Which meant, once again, if we didn't find a nanny, they'd destroy said castle.

"Dat's mine! You little crap!"

"Shut up, baldy!"

"Why I outta..."

I growled and yelled, "Roy, Junior! Stop bickering, or 'I outta' come over there and kick your ass!"

They both growled and relaxed, but elsewhere at the table, there was another conflict.

I groaned and slumped in my chair. I don't know how the hell anyone gets them all to shut up at the same time. Well, that made sense, considering that Fawn was the only person to do it.

I grew complacent at the thought of her. Fawn...I missed her. I was loathe to admit it, considering it had only been two weeks since I'd seen her. But I missed one of my only real friends...two weeks was a long time to not see a person of such status, now that I put it in to context. I had even gone so far as to make her a little…present, for when she did finally come back.

I looked out at my kids bickering. My face grew steely. There's a job that needs to be done, that's all there is to this.

* * *

**Fawn**

I was having trouble sleeping, so I had gone for a walk around the village to clear my head. I was reaching the gate, and I was about to enter the forest to further my stroll, when something rather peculiar stopped me. A hovercraft of sorts with a clown face painted on it with a Dragon Koopa riding it, to be exact.

My face lit up with glee as I rushed up to the Copter as it touched down.

"Bowser!" I yelled happily, waiting for him to get out of the Copter.

He grinned and said, "Hey Fawn. Glad you're up." He jumped out of the Copter with surprising ease for someone of his weight, and landed next to me.

I immediately hugged him tightly, as I had missed my friend very much over the last two weeks. More than I should have, actually...

He smiled warmly and squeezed me gently, actually seeming to relish the hug for just a moment. But he withdrew relatively fast, nonetheless.

"What are you doing here?" I asked happily.

He grinned lopsidedly. "Well, it's your lucky day. My kids are home for the weekend, and are already destroying everything again. So, why don't you come over and work? I'd give you the same pay."

My eyes widened, remembering his amount of pay a thousand coins last time.. "Bowser! You gave me to much pay last time! That was way more then I deserved for babysitting one day!"

"Well...no one's ever made them behave! I could tell you out effort in to it, so whatever." He shrugged.

"Just don't pay me as much," I requested exasperatedly.

"Fine, fine." He chuckled. "I've got a different present for you anyway."

My brow rose. "What?"

"Nothing, you'll see. Well, you ready to go?"

I frowned. "Well...I need to ask my father first."

Bowser made an angry frown in reply. "Ugh, that again? Can't you just ditch him?"

"Bowser!"

"Alright, alright, fine."

"Um...I'll run home quickly. You uh...wait here! I'll be back soon!"

Without saying anything else to him, I dashed off toward my house.

Once there, I walked inside, and as I was making my way to Cult's room, when he actually walked out in a sleepy daze.

"Fawn...what?" he said tiredly.

"Hey um...dad?" I said hesitantly, not sure how I should word this. "Can I...you know...go to Bowser's to babysit?"

He blinked tiredly. "What time is it...?"

"I'd make a lot of pay still! You were really happy with the amount last time! I promise I'll make money still," I promised determinedly.

"Wait...what...?"

"May I work?"

He blinked again. He seemed like he was barely processing my words. "...Sure, whatever..."

I smiled brightly before stooping to kiss his cheek. Wasting no more time, I ran out to meet Bowser.

I suppose I hadn't taken in to account that he wasn't in the state of mind to say no.

* * *

Once we arrived at the castle, Bowser led me to my room, as I was to tired to go by myself. Once we reached it, I turned to Bowser and smiled.

"Thank you for escorting me to my room..." I said drearily.

He didn't leave like I thought I would. He seemed to have some sort of nervous excitement as he grinned excitedly. "Well, I want to literally see you in."

I raised a brow at his odd demand, but shrugged pass it. I walked in to the room, and realized it was no longer the blank slate of a room I had once had before.

The walls were a chestnut brown, and the floor was a dark brown, with a dark forest green rug. There was a new four poster bed with brown sheets and a light white veil, as well as a dresser, a fancy TV, and a few chairs and drawers. I smiled largely, soaking it all in.

"Do you like it?" he asked hopefully.

When I didn't answer immediately, he continued to talk. "I asked some girl named Tina about your taste. The Koopalings seemed to agree with her...I don't know if you like it, but-"

I whipped around and jumped up, kissing his cheek. Or that's what I was aiming for. But it was hard to be accurate while jumping, so I sort if kissed his strong jaw.

He stopped cold and stared at me, wide eyed, with a faint blush. "Did you just...kiss me?"

I began to blush, realizing what I did. _I kissed him…wait, why the hell did I just kiss him!? _"Oh my...I-I'm so sorry!" I stuttered. "I um...I was just so happy and grateful...I just did the instinctive thing...sort of. Like when my dad does something like this..."

He cleared his throat awkwardly, still in shock from the kiss. Although there seemed to be some pleasure from how I reacted. "Well. Glad you liked it."

I smiled shyly. "I do. A lot. Thank you..."

He grinned, his blush fading. "No problem. The room was just so boring that I had to do something."

I chuckled. "Yeah..."

He ran a hand through his hair and said, "Well, I'll be going. Night."

I smiled sweetly. "Night."

He left the room, leaving me to my thoughts.

_Oh geez...I can't believed I kissed him! I mean, on the jaw...but still. It felt weird! Well, not physically...it almost felt nice, his scales are smooth and warm. I meant how it felt inside...it was weird, it's not like kissing Cult._

I shrugged. I was to tired for this.

* * *

"Hey! Let me go!" Larry ranted from inside his locked room. I was now babysitting the Koopalings, and he had tried to steal. I knew he'd go to his room, so I did the same thing to him that I did to Ludwig.

"Uh...no. Sorry! Enjoy the cupcake!" I called back.

"Argh! Damn!"

As he yelled this, a Koopa approached me.

"Hello Miss Forest," he greeted formally.

I grew shy at the stranger and his courtesy. "Um...hi."

"Lord Bowser has requested that you meet him for dinner."

I smile crept upon my face. "A dinner? That sounds great..." A dinner all alone with Bowser really did sound fun...we'd have so much fun!

"I was sent to inform you. Please be dressed formally at the dining hall by seven."

I found the need to dress formally odd, but I ignored it. "Ok...thank you."

The Koopa walked away at that. _I suppose he was all business..._

I smiled at the thought of a nice dinner with Bowser, and walked away to wrap up my babysitting before I got changed. Or at least I tried to...but I tripped on the way.

I looked at the incredibly annoying white high heels.

In order to get Wendy to behave, I had to humor her...fashion needs again. She made try on shoes this time...specifically high heels.

They were white, with some sort of light, sparkly design. They were absolutely terrible to walk in, as there was a giant heel that completely threw off my balance when I tried to walk. It was like walking on a pinpoint, and my feet felt cramped! And the worst part was that Wendy said the heel wasn't even that tall.

Grimacing, I continued on my way.

* * *

I stared down the one formal dress I had, that now lied on my bed. It was the dress that Wendy gave me. It was cream white, and went down to my knees, with a slit up the thigh, and a cream yellow bodice that looked like it'd hug the waist. I was pretty scared of this dress; I had no idea how to put it on.

I gulped. Just remember what Tina taught you...I grabbed the dress, and after much trouble, especially involving the bodice, I managed to get it all on. I frowned, not liking how weird the dress felt, but I put up with it.

I checked the time; six-thirty. I smiled and made my way to the dining hall. I knew it was a little early, but I needed to leave early if I was ever going to get there in these damn heels.

* * *

After much difficulty, I finally made it to the dining hall. Once inside, I observed my surroundings. It wasn't like our first dinner, with a two person table. It was the ordinary dinner table, although the room was still torch lit. The dining hall was as normal as ever, but it still seemed to take a more regal, fanciful atmosphere without the Koopalings.

Finally, there was Bowser. I noticed his shell was different almost immediately. It had silvery, less threatening looking spikes, and the back was a glossy black, and the front was white and without rims, making it look like a tuxedo in a sense. He turned to greet me, but stopped in place. Maybe he was noticing my change in clothes, because I was certainly noticing his. The colors look interesting, but fancy on him, giving him a more dashing look…and I wasn't sure if this was possible, but it seemed like the shell was hugging his body almost…making him seem…

"Um…would you like to sit down?" he said slowly, finally looking away.

I blinked, snapping out of it. _That was weird…_ "Um…sure, yes."

I was about to sit next to him, when I noticed my ordinary seat wasn't next to him like usual. I found it at the very end of the table, far from Bowser.

I frowned. "Bowser, why's my chair all the way over there?"

"Well…don't you want to sit there?"

"But it's not my seat. Besides, how will I talk to you?"

He cracked a grin. "Guess you have a point there."

So he got up and picked up the chair with ease, moving it next to him.

As he did this, a waiter came out with two plates of food and two drinks on top of them. He quickly set up the meals in our respective seats, being slightly stumped for a second by my change in seating, before saying, "Enjoy," and walking out.

I practically salivated at the food; it was as good as ever. A perfectly cooked steak, some well-prepared salad, and some sort of rice and curry, along with a juice of some kind. I was ready to eat.

Bowser laughed and said, "Well, what're we waiting for?"

We both sat down and quickly began to wolf down our food. It was incredibly delicious, I didn't even bother speaking to Bowser until I was halfway done.

"Oh Bowser?" I said to him.

He looked up, some curry glued to his face. I laughed when I looked at his face, and he laughed as well. I probably had something on my face too.

"Do you remember our first dinner here?" Bowser said between laughs.

I calmed to a chuckle as I responded, "Yeah, I do."

"I couldn't get over the fact that you weren't Peach and that you eat the way you do. Now look at us!"

I chuckled. "A lot has changed since then, huh?"

He grinned crookedly. "You've got that right."

I looked down at my dress and crossed my arms. "Except for the formal dressing. That's still the same. Just out of curiosity, why make this formal?"

He growled. "I asked Kamek to get the preparations and to tell you about it, but he must've…_misheard _what I said, and told you to dress nicely." He seemed sarcastic for some reason.

"Well why dress formally yourself then? Why not just let me dress formally?"

"Well...Kamek advised that it'd be rude to dress differently, since you're already dressing formal." He crossed his arms and looked away. "And maybe I felt a little bad too."

I smiled at his kindness that he seemed to show to so little people. It crossed my mind for a moment how special that made me feel. "Here…it's a nice suit, you shouldn't ruin it," I said, taking a napkin and reaching toward his face.

As I began to clean him, he seemed slightly surprised for just a moment before taking a napkin and dabbing my face as well. I stopped cleaning him, surprised by his action. He smiled and said, "What? Your dress is nice, you shouldn't ruin your clothes either."

I smiled faintly, enjoying his touch. I'm not sure, but a faint blush may've been on my cheeks as I continued to clean his face. As I cleaned it, I observed his strong features, illuminated by the flattering torch light. We were at such a close proximity, I could feel his heat and gaze in to eyes. _He is…handsome. _I wasn't sure if he noticed my staring, but I certainly did, as I quickly drew away, inexplicably embarrassed. "Um…the suit shell is nice."

He seemed to have a similar reaction as I did, as he quickly drew away. "Um…thanks." He coughed, maybe nervously? "Your dress looks good on you…where'd you get it?"

"Wendy got it for me."

I'm not sure if I imagined it, but I think Bowser's eyes went down to the slit on my leg briefly before coming back up to my eyes. "Yeah…seems like her taste."

We both chuckled before silencing and resuming eating our food, now minding our clothes. I was thinking of things to ask him, when I realized I was tired. Probably because I went to sleep late, considering the ride here late at night, and I had to wake up somewhat early to prepare for the day with Koopalings, which took a lot of energy anyway. The thought of sleep made my mind do one of its random trips, and I thought of a topic I had been rather curious of.

"Hey um...Bowser?" I asked, not sure how to bring it up.

"What?" he grunted.

"When I first came here and we both had nightmares…what did you have a bad dream about?"

He frowned for a while, before sighing. "What about you?"

I smiled. "I'll tell you if you tell me."

He sat there for a good while, contemplating it. "I don't know…"

I pouted. "Come on…" I pleaded.

He paused for a while before sighing. "You first."

I nodded before taking myself by surprise. I realized how awkward this was. "Oh...well...it's not a big deal," I said quietly.

His mood lifted and he grinned crookedly. "I want to know."

"Um...well..." I sighed. "Back at home...I didn't have to many friends. They all thought I was weird and dumb...so they didn't like me. They were mean to me for a while, but they got better. But um...I never had many real friends back there. I sort of had a dream that they were all making fun of me again." To be honest, this was why I was so afraid of being called dumb. It's what I'd always been called. It was cheesy and silly, but it was the truth.

"Huh..." He frowned. "I'm uh...sorry."

I smiled, not finding his comfort awkward at all. "Thanks..."

He continued to frown in thought. "But people thought you were dumb?"

"Yeah..."

"Huh...well I mean, I guess I get weird. But not dumb..."

I smiled largely at his compliment, not offended by being called weird. I could tell there was no ill will, which was what really stung behind words. "Really?"

He scratched his cheek. "Uh, yeah, you're smart..."

His compliment made me very happy. "Thank you...now you."

He looked like he was growing uncomfortable. "Um...do I have to?"

I chuckled. "Well I already did, so you have to!"

"Yeah but...I don't know..."

I observed his discomfort before sighing in submission. "You don't have to..."

He looked at my dejection and groaned softly. "It's uh...it's no big deal! I just had a nightmare about people thinking I'm a..."

"A what?"

"...A monster.' He sighed. He quickly tried to cover it. "But I'm used to it! I am...it just sucked because in the dream, Peach and um...yeah, Peach was calling me a monster." He was trying to cover it up, but I can tell he was actually hurt. This dream didn't help him.

"Oh...I'm sorry," I said sympathetically. _So everyone calling him a monster does get to him..._

He shrugged it off, still looking awkward. "Whatever...it was just Peach that sucked in the dream. Because she's...you know..."

"Because you love her?"

"...And because she usually doesn't think I am."

I frowned, wondering if that was true. From what I could tell, she treated him like he was evil...but at least not a monster. _Was that really enough for him?_

I frowned in annoyance. "I really am sorry...I don't understand why people treat you like that."

He quirked a brow, chuckling. "Well, my kingdom's done a bunch of crap, so that doesn't make me look good. But besides that, my appearance doesn't make me look to great either."

"Oh..." I muttered, slowly understanding.

"Yeah; they're just little wusses that are afraid of some muscle. How else can they not take all of this?" he said, gesturing to himself, smirking smugly.

I chuckled at his silly, conceited attitude. "Yeah, I can see that."

His smirk softened a little. "You uh...you can?"

"Well yeah! The first thing I thought when I saw you was 'Damn! I didn't know muscles like that existed!'" I laughed.

He grinned widely. "Really?"

"Yeah! And you're scales and shell are pretty cool too!" I started observing him again in the starlight. His scales shined ever so softly from the moonlight, and his mane's red shone brightly. I met his face, his strong features and startling red eyes were highlighted by the dim light. I also noticed his muscles were the same. His arms were gigantic, and exaggerated by the dim lighting...I could also feel the heat that radiated from them and his whole body, like a calling…

"Fawn!" his rumbling bass spoke.

I snapped to attention.

His hands feel the same...strong and rough, but gentle and...wait, his hands?

I looked at him and I realized he was holding my shoulders. I realized I had drifted off a little, and had started leaning toward him. I guess the day with the Koopalings really did leave me tired. So I simply blushed and said, "Oh...I'm sorry..."

He looked embarrassed too, but he seemed to shrug past it. "No problem. You must be tired."

"I guess a little…but I'm fine, don't worry. It was just a little thing."

I couldn't help but observe him intently. I didn't know what it was, but there was something about the way he looked that was drawing my eye...I couldn't describe the feeling. There was a word I was trying to think of to describe it, but I couldn't think of one...

"Fawn! Don't fall asleep on me now." He chuckled. "I mean...I've got to let go of you sometime."

I realized he was still holding me up. I quickly backed away. "Sorry..." I was awake enough to be flustered.

"It's fine," Bowser assured. I couldn't tell if he felt awkward or was also tired.

"Well um...I suppose I should go to bed now..." I yawned.

Bowser yawned too, although his was much louder. "Yep. Hanging out with you's boring me to sleep."

I frowned. "Hey."

He chuckled softly. "Kidding, kidding. See you."

"Yeah...this was nice." I smiled.

He grinned back. "Yeah."

* * *

**Bowser**

I lied in bed awake, trying futilely to fall asleep. I was tired, but I was still thinking to much

I didn't want to admit it, but being called a monster by everyone did get to me...it was part of the reason why I liked Peach so much. She was the first girl who didn't think I was a monster...plus she's pretty hot.

But this girl...not only did she not think I was a monster, but she sounded like she actually found the way I look...cool.

I thought back to how she looked that night. Kamek probably made her dress formal on purpose to make it feel like a date. She looked beautiful…it wasn't her style, I'll admit, but the dress stuck to her form perfectly, giving her a hourglass figure with that bodice. And her slit was up the whole time, she didn't notice. I glanced at her leg several time throughout the evening. And I thought about how she acted…how we laughed, how she felt in my hands, how she actually appreciated my appearance. _A girl thinks that? How could anyone think that? Especially a girl with such soft skin..._

I sighed. I wasn't going to sleep soon. But as I lied there, desperately trying to, I hoped that this would be a new constant in my life.

* * *

**Fawn**

I sat on my bed, looking out my balcony door to the starry night. I was tired, but I was still thinking a lot, so I as falling asleep slowly.

His arms are so strong and warm…it felt nice to be held like that…he's so warm. I get warm too…when I'm around him. Maybe those fire fairies that keep him warm spread to me too when I held him…

I watched the starry night, my consciousness finally slipping. But before I fell asleep, I faintly registered an odd occurrence. A star was winking at me.

**END OF ARC 2: THE BONDS WE FORM**

* * *

**Oooo eerie ending. Wonder what that could mean? ;) wait...does this mean...plot!? WHAT!? Lol, yes, believe it or not, some sort of semblance of a story will form...or at least some drama, I dunno, it depends on how I feel lol**

**But WhiteasSnowyhills, and I'm sure many other readers, are hoping for Bowser to just ask her out, since they like each other from the looks of it, and there are no problems. Well, you see, I like making the chase long. It's my preference, I start losing interest once the couple's together. But that's my preference, so it's how I'm structuring this story. But don't worry; I love fluff, but not when it goes on with nothing but that for such 200k+ words, when they're just to damn scared to ask each other out. All my fluff, believe it or not, served a purpose to connect Fawn to all the characters. So now I can start screwing things up :)**

**Well, hopefully you'll like the problems that will finally start to show up in the third arc. Until then, read, review, fav, follow. Byee**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Hey guys. So I was gonna update yesterday. But Hyrule Warriors came out, sooo yeah XD SSB4 IS COMING OUT FRIDAY ARRGH! Lol nerding aside, here's the new chapter, and the start of Arc 3! Where the drama starts lol. It's not super melodramatic, but it's enough to present the problems with a relationship between Bowser and Fawn. So enjoy :)**

**Angela, lol the fire fairies are a story my dad used to tell me when I was a kid. I was like 'hm...this'll make Fawn seem retarded. Sounds good XP ps here's the Cult freak out XD**

* * *

**ARC 3: THE ROADS WE TRAVEL**

Chapter 26: Friends

**Cult**

"Here you go," I said, handing Fawn her breakfast. "Enjoy!"

"Thanks..." she murmured, with her ordinary morning fog.

"So, ready to go to Peach's?" I asked, sitting down to eat as well.

"Yeah..." she said distantly. I smiled at her morning attitude.

I looked over her ordinary attire. She insisted on wearing her ordinary clothes, refusing to take the clothes she apparently got at Bowser's. She said it made her feel bad, like she was stealing from them if she took the clothes home, and that the money she received was good enough. Which it really was, she gets paid a _ridiculous_ sum.

I thought about the life at Bowser's castle she'd told me about. She's gone over there to work four times in total now, usually on weekends, although it's been a while since her last job. I still didn't like him...but I felt like I could trust him. He hadn't done anything yet, and Fawn seems to like her, so he couldn't be all bad. Although I had no idea why she did.

"Let me ask you something...do you completely trust Bowser?" I asked. It was random, but I felt the need to know.

"Um...yeah..." her slow reply came. "I like him..."

"Why?" I was genuinely curious.

"Well..." This was going to take a lot of thought process for her for this time of day. "When I see him...and with him...I feel special."

I found her wording weird. "Special?"

"Yeah...it's weird, I just get warm..."

I continued to be confused by her strange description, when I suddenly realized what she might've described. My eyes widened at the possibility. "Um...what?"

She seemed to grow a little annoyed that she had to try and think so early in the morning. "Yes, I feel warm and special when I'm with him. And he looks...different than other people."

I frowned, really not liking the sounds of that. "Different how? Like he's a Dragon Koopa, right?"

She shook her head after some thought. "Uh…no. Just different…"

At first I was confused by what 'different' meant, but I realized she probably didn't know what it was like to find a guy handsome. _Oh Stars no, I said I could tolerate him! This can't be a thing! It can't he's...that's...no! I'll kill him! I'll freaking kill him!_ I began to shake, with my vision going bloodshot at the very idea of the little bastard even _touching _my daughter. I'm sure that a normal person would've noticed my trembling rage, and my reddening face, but Fawn was completely ignorant to it, stuck in her head.

I finally found the sanity to speak. "Fawn..."

"Oh," she said, not realizing she'd interrupted me. "I'm done."

I groaned at her lack of attentiveness. We'd been finished for a few minutes. "Yes, but..."

"Oh dear. I think Peach will be here soon. I must leave now." She stood up. She quickly checked her dress to make sure her parcel was still on her, which it was. She said she had something to show Peach…

"But..." I said, practically shaking.

"Bye dad," she said, kissing me before rushing to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"...Bye," I finally relented, allowing her to leave.

I sat here, thinking on the idea...that my daughter...could like that man. _Like_ that man. _I'd never forgive him...no one gets to even look at my girl like that! Especially not an asshole like him! I'd kill him! I'd freaking KILL him!_

I forced myself to calm down, as I was seething. _It's okay...Fawn's smarter than that. She's too innocent...just no. It won't happen...it's okay._

I decided that this was a conversation to be had with Fawn later, when she came back from Peach's tomorrow, best saved for when we could really talk about it, and she was in the mindset to think about it. I needed to be careful and learn the truth from her. After all, I need to be careful that I kill a man for a good enough reason.

_Okay Bowser, you can ruin a princesses life, and terrorize nations as much you like. But mess with my daughter, and your head AND your balls are coming off._

* * *

**Bowser**

I sat in my office, doing my paperwork. Or at least, I was trying to. But no, a certain individual was on my mind. Or rather, two individuals.

_I haven't seen Peach in so long...I miss her. I miss her golden her hair...those bright blue eyes...her beautiful face...her rack... _I chuckled._ And also her..._

_Fawn._

I blinked, catching that thought. _Fawn...why am I thinking about her? I see her a decent amount...although it has been a while. But I haven't kidnapped Peach in a long time! I miss her..._

_But who do I miss more? _

I sighed. _I miss Peach more...I love her. Fawn's just my friend...right. Yeah...my pretty, cool, friend. Wait...did I just...oh for Stars sake. I can't feel like that for her...she'd never feel the same. Would she?_

I sighed again. _This is so weird...I can't love Fawn! I mean...Peach has always been the one I loved! It's always been like that...it's always been. I need to sort this out...I need to see Peach again._

* * *

**Fawn**

I sat in Peach's room, curled up on her bed beside her, watching a movie. This had become a common occurrence, as Peach now invited me over to hang out occasionally. It was always very fun, she was a great friend!

"Why are his teeth so far apart?" I asked Peach curiously about the male lead of the movie.

"Oh, well..." She paused and squinted her eyes. "Oh Stars, he does have a tooth gap...that's hilarious! I used to find him so cute; you've ruined him for me!" She began to laugh, and I laughed along with her. I had figured out she did indeed have a sense of humor.

Once we stopped laughing, I noticed something she said just now, that she'd also said maybe once or twice before about other people. "Hey Peach?"

"Yes?"

"Did you find that man attractive?"

She blinked, blushing slightly. "Well...it sounds weird when you put it like that. But yes, he was cute."

"But what about Mario?" It was my knowledge that you weren't allowed to say anything like that when you had a boyfriend.

"Oh...well," she said, looking nervous. "Don't make me seem unfaithful! I'd never betray Mario; I don't know anything about that man. It's okay to think other guys are cute though..."

I nodded in understanding. "Oh...okay. So does that mean you find Mario really cute?" I asked logically.

For a second, just a second, she seemed to hesitate. But she quickly covered it with a small smile. "Yes. I love Mario very much."

I nodded, skipping over it. "I wonder what it's like to find someone cute...or to love..." I pondered.

"Well," Peach answered, actually humoring my aloud thought. "If you find a guy cute...I don't know how to describe it, you just like the way they look. And when you actually _like_ someone..." She sighed dreamily. "It's an impossible feeling to describe. You just want to do everything for them...and you get all warm inside..."

I nodded distantly. "I think I felt warm with Bowser..."

She suddenly grew serious, looking at me strangely. "Um...what?"

I turned to her, staring blankly at her. "I wouldn't know how it feels like...but I felt some sort of internal warmth when he holds me...is that right?"

Her look progress to something even more confused. "He holds you? What?"

"Well...you know I've gone over a few times, so we've hugged a few times...sometimes it lasts..."

Peach continued to gawk at me before shaking her head. "Okay, wait...so you're saying you've been hugging Bowser, to where he's practically holding you, and you get that warm feeling inside?"

Even in my airy state, I could tell I should backtrack. I could vaguely recall Cult reacting poorly as well, so maybe this wasn't smart to talk about. "Well...maybe it was just external warmth...he is very warm."

Peach nodded slowly. "Okay...good. Fawn...how can you like that man? Even as a friend."

I smiled faintly and collapsed back on the bed. I felt the gift in my dress, but I was to tired to ask Peach to check if it was any good now. "Well...he's funny, and he can be nice, and his family's nice, and..."

Peach interrupted me, sighing. "I understand liking his family, I suppose…and I guess I can't dissuade you from being friends with him. But I still don't see any of that..."

I was incredibly tired now, rolling over to lay my head on her lap and feel her warmth, falling asleep. I was to tired to care about things like boundaries, and she was my friend anyway.

"Come on...he's nice...he really likes you, be nice..."

"Huh?" I heard her say.

"Yeah...he likes you...be nicer..." I finally drifted off.

* * *

**Peach**

Fawn had fallen asleep on my lap. I didn't mind; the friendly contact was nice, and Fawn looked adorable in her sleep. I chuckled at her as I continued to watch TV shows late in to the night, thinking about what I talked to her about.

There was something...weird about Fawn asking me about how things with Mario. Everyone thought that Mario and I made a perfect couple; a hero and princess, it really is perfect. Plus, it would make me seem cold and ungrateful if I hadn't developed any feeling for him. Plus I did feel bad...how could I not treat him well after protecting me so? He helps me when I can't help myself...so I made sure to always tell people that we were very much in love. But it felt weird when Fawn asked. She had no bias like the others; she was just my genuinely curious friend. It made me think about my relationship...

Just as I thought on this, Mario called. Slight excitement rushed through me as I picked up the phone. He never called!

"Hey Mario!" I greeted sweetly.

"Hey-a Peach," he said nonchalantly.

"Um...what's up?" Phone calls with Mario were always awkward.

"Well-a...I'm-a sorry, but I-a have to cancel on out date on Saturday," he said bluntly, with only a little sympathy.

"Oh..." I said dejectedly, but not to surprised. "Why?"

"A king-a recently had-a his fortune stolen, and he asked me to go find it! I-a couldn't say no!"

"Oh...I guess I understand..." I did understand; it was so like him.

"But-a don't worry, I've-a got my plans free for the party next-a week still!" he said cheerfully.

I would assume. Despite expecting this, and not liking it, I made sure to sound happy. "Of course...I'm very glad. I can't wait to see you!"

"Okay, thanks-a for understanding. Bye."

"Bye!"

I sighed as the line went dead. Mario did this a lot...he had some sort of thrill with adventure, and he was too nice. He was always finding new quests and journeys to take on, always craving the feeling that he got when he finally completed one, and he saw the happy faces of the people he's helped, and the recognition he gets. With all he does, and all the adventure he seeks, he pays no attention to me. Sometimes I think he's only with me because it was expected of him too...

I shook my head. _I can't think like that! I owe him so much...he could not love me, and it wouldn't matter! I owe him...I have my debt to pay. He's done so much...considering I can't save myself from Bowser._

I thought about him. He was...not a monster. He always kidnapped me, and it made me feel terrible...and he arguably looked like one too...but I knew he wasn't a monster. I remembered how kind he was when we were kids...when we were friends. Then he started kidnapping me. _I wonder what happened? I guess he doesn't like me anymore…but then again, Fawn just said he did. What does that-_

Suddenly, I heard a whirring noise outside my balcony. When I turned to look, I only saw a blob in the night, before a yellow blur dashed in to my room. "Hey," greeted Bowser.

My eyes widened and my fear grew. "No...Bowser..."

He didn't respond right away. He was staring at me, and now I realized he was staring at Fawn on my lap too. I suppose he was confused by her presence.

While he was still, I took the opportunity to begin screaming. He snapped out of it and rushed forth to grab me. Fawn fell off my lap, and he seemed to stare at her for a second, before picking her up too.

As he ran toward the Clown Copter, my screaming became more desperate. "No! Don't involve Fawn, she's innocent in this! Don't you need to ask her first!?"

"She'll be okay with it," he muttered.

I sighed sadly, giving up on screaming, feeling worthless. _I'm sorry Fawn...I've gotten you in so much trouble again..._

He finally let us both down in the Copter. I frowned, not in the mood for screaming. So I just looked around as we took off, trying to occupy my mind.

I saw the escaping landscape, the starry night, the rolling green prairies and meadows that smelled of sweet flowers, which began to morph in to forests that smelled of pine. I looked around the evil Clown Copter, and Bowser, sitting at his controls. But he didn't seem to be paying attention...he was looking down at the floor. He almost looked embarrassed, I might add. He was looking at Fawn, who had stayed asleep throughout all this. Snuggling up against Bowser's leg, no less.

I frowned at him. _This was too much, taking advantage of her when she was to tired and sweet to do anything about it. She wouldn't do that ordinarily...would she? And does Bowser like her?_

He noticed I was staring and got weird. "Uh...she's just tired. She doesn't mean it...she's doing it to me, I just don't care. I mean...I don't like it."

Not seeing me let up from my hard stare, he slowly moved his leg, causing Fawn's head to fall. Her head hit the floor somewhat loudly, and she grimaced slightly.

I frowned angrily, upset with him for hurting her so carelessly. "Of course..." I muttered at his insensitivity.

His face grew steely, and I moved toward Fawn, who looked much less content then she did on Bowser's leg, almost waking up. I laid her head on my lap, which pacified her.

I noticed he was staring, but he quickly looked away. I sighed. _Weird...he always is. This'll be a nightmare..._

* * *

**Well Peach is getting involved. That's already causing some problems, isn't it? XD btw, I added BowserxPeach in the summary because when writing this chapter I was like, 'It's there, sorta, so why not?' So yeah, hope you enjoyed. We'll see how everyone does over there later**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Heyy. So I missed my weekly deadline by a day. Oh well :/ and it's a short chapter…and I haven't written out the next chapter yet ^^' I was going to write, but then ssb4 happened. The Koopalings are playable, I NEEDED IT. Bowser and Bowser Junior are sooooo good :D**

**Ok, nuff of that. Last time, Peach and Fawn got kidnapped. So here's how that goes :)**

**Thank you for the motivation Angela :) only you've been reviewing…hoping people realized I changed the title XD**

Chapter 27: Confusing dinner

**Fawn**

I opened my eyes slowly.

_Pink...not pink...brown..._

I smiled dreamily at the comforting color.

_Soft...somewhere...bed...familiar._

I started processing my surroundings slowly, and I realized that this was my room in Bowser's castle. I blinked dumbly.

_...What?_

I sat there, thinking about why I could possibly be there...until I got tired of it. I had just woken up, it was too early to think about silly things, like 'How did I get transported from one castle to another during my sleep?'. So I willed myself out of bed and in to my bathroom to take a shower. Once I finished that, I searched through my drawer, and found some new clothes inside of it, along with a note on top of them. I checked it, and it was confirmed to be from Tina.

**Hey Cookie,**

**I don't know when you'll get back, but here are those clothes I promised you! Hope you like them!**

**Tina.**

I smiled faintly; glad to get new clothes that I would probably like. I grabbed some fresh undergarments and the first thing on the pile, as I was too lazy to fully go through it.

It was a simple, brown, sleeveless dress that went halfway down my shins, with a comfortably low neck line. I smiled, enjoying the dress very much. I slipped on a pair of nice sandals as I heard a knock at the door.

Still not thinking about my situation, I answered it, with Peach standing at my door. She looked rather different, as she was wearing a different dress. It was more casual, being a dark pink dress that hugged her waist only slightly, going down to her ankles, the skirt flaring only slightly. She also had a distressed expression.

"Oh Fawn..." she whispered, hugging me. "I've dragged you in to this again!"

I raised a brow, finally waking up. "Dragged me in to this...what is it?"

She looked at me, almost looking crestfallen. "Fawn...Bowser came last night to kidnap me, and he kidnapped you too since you were there!"

My eyes widened briefly, before I nodded in understanding. _Hm...why kidnap me? I guess he was kidnapping Peach, and since I was there, he took me on a whim. I guess that makes sense... _"Okay."

"Okay!?" she said incredulously. "How can you just find this okay?"

I shrugged. "I'll just send Cult a letter saying where I am. No big deal."

She blinked slowly before sighing. "But...well, okay, I suppose..."

"Well, do you have any idea what we do-"

Before I could even finish my question, Jimmy walked in to my room, tray in hand.

"Morning Fawn!" he greeted cheerfully. He turned to Peach and grew awkward. "Hello princess...did you find the meal I brought you okay?"

Peach nodded politely. "Yes, thank you."

Jimmy smiled and nodded. "Glad to hear it." He handed me my tray, a simple breakfast on it. "Here you go."

"Thanks Jimmy!" I thanked happily.

Once he gave me the tray of food, he looked at us both awkwardly. "Well um...I'll get going. I'm sure you both need to do...you know, girl stuff or something."

"Wait, Jimmy?" I asked, stopping him. "What are we supposed to do today?"

He scratched his chin in thought before snapping his fingers in realization. "Oh right! I was supposed to tell you two! Bowser's called for a dinner with the both of you around seven, casual clothes."

I instantly began to beam. The idea of spending time with my two best friends in the world...that sounded amazing. Plus, I began to hope that maybe if I sat them both at a table, I could work out their differences. Maybe...get them together...although that bothered me for some reason.

"That sounds fun!" I exclaimed finally.

Jimmy shrugged. "Well, one is fun. Two is just biting off more than you can chose...I mean Bowser can't even land one, so-"

Peach cleared her throat loudly, making Jimmy stop abruptly and blush. I didn't really get that exchange at all.

"Ah crap...my bad," Jimmy apologized. He caught himself, now looking flustered. "Sorry for saying crap...well damn, I just said it...I mean...screw it, sorry, I'm out of here." He quickly fled the room.

I smiled as he left turning to Peach. "Well...let's hang out until we need to go!"

**Bowser**

I drummed my fingers on the table anxiously, awaiting Peach's arrival. I had called for a dinner earlier today...and after some thought, I decided against inviting Fawn.

_I don't know why I brought her...I just saw her and felt some sort of impulse. Maybe that wasn't a good idea...this was just supposed to be my time to refocus on Peach. To give her back my attention..._

At the time, my thought process made sense to me. I loved Peach, and I felt as though I hadn't given her my attention like usual. There was a part of me that believed that if I just continued to unconditionally love Peach, she'd eventually love me back. So if I didn't kidnap her enough, it would never happen...

But I also wanted to be with Peach because of Fawn. I'd been seeing Fawn...differently. It was weird, but I had even more fun with her then I should with a friend. I got warm inside...and I felt as though she understood me. She felt a lot like Peach...and that scared me. Loving one girl was too complicated! I didn't want to deal with another one! What if she stopped wanting to be my friend after finding out that I liked her! Hell, I didn't even know if I liked her for sure! And what if I pursued her, and she turned out bad? What if she wasn't the same...and who would be my friend? _No, Fawn is perfect for me the way she is. I need Peach to be mine!_

The door finally opened, and Peach walked in to the torch lit room, accompanied by Fawn. My eyes widened. _What the hell is she doing here?_

"Fawn?" I said incredulously.

"Hi Bowser," she responded cheerfully.

I stared at her, confused. "What are you doing here?"

She frowned, also confused. "Well...didn't you invite Peach and I to dinner?"

I looked at her, still confused, before my eyes widened in realization.

_Kamek...damn it! He probably invited Fawn himself, even though I asked for only Peach! Why does he have to get so involved in my life!? He keeps trying to push me with Fawn, damn it's annoying…_

I groaned, not sure how to handle this. Kamek's meddling had gotten me in to an awkward spot. "I see...well, I'm sorry Fawn, but I think Kamek must've gotten...confused when I told him what to do. I asked for a dinner alone with Peach, since it's been awhile..." I decided to reference the main reason why, or at least try to. "And uh...you know."

She didn't seem to catch the reason; the obvious factor that I loved Peach. "Um...I don't know. But, if you really want to eat with Peach alone...I'll let you." She seemed crestfallen. And I felt like a jackass.

Peach interjected. "No Fawn! You should eat with us!"

"Are you sure...?" Fawn said unsurely, glancing between Peach and I. "But Bowser..."

I was about to interject, but Peach spoke again. I saw how determined she looked...maybe even desperate to keep Fawn here. "Please? You're my friend...and you're Bowser's friend." She turned to me, her face steely, but stiff. "Right Bowser? Won't you let her eat with us?"

I sat there, considering my options, before digressing. "Fine, fine. Whatever my Peach asks."

She seemed to shake a little, and Fawn smiled shyly. "Thank you..." Fawn spoke. I hadn't noticed her shyness had returned.

The waiter came out with our food and later with a chair and meal for Fawn. We were a little cramped at the small table I had set up, considering it was meant to be just for Peach and I. Once we had our food, Peach quickly began to eat. I knew what was starting to happen, and I wouldn't let it happen.

"So Peach," I said, trying to start conversation. "How've things been? I haven't seen you for so long!"

"Things are good," she said blankly, focusing on her food.

"Anything new happen?"

"No."

I grimaced, when Fawn began to talk. "Um...Cult and I recently went on a hunt. We found something really interesting! A rare white antler antelope. I caught it with my own trap! I fed the whole village, everyone was proud."

"Cool," I said, not paying attention to her. "So, Peach...how're things with the kingdom?"

"...Well."

I flinched at her coldness. She seemed more irritated than usual.

"Um...how are the Koopalings?" Fawn asked me.

"Well," I dismissed. "So..."

**Fawn**

The rest of the dinner went like that. Bowser ignored me and continued to speak to Peach. Or at least try to; she continued to shut him down.

Peach confessed to me that she didn't want to be alone with Bowser, which is why she insisted that I stay. I wish I didn't though...I understand that Bowser wanted to spend time with the girl he loved. But it still hurt how little he wanted to be with me...how he so blatantly ignored me.

Why did it hurt so much? _I should be more understanding...he shouldn't have to constantly give me attention. But...it still hurt. That he gave that attention to someone who doesn't care. I heard love makes you unreasonable...so why did it hurt? I don't get it...I just hope he's not the same tomorrow._

**Well, that sucked. Bowser's being ridiculous. Hey, it's love, not logic. What're you gonna do? But he's being a dick to Fawn :/ oh well, let's see how it plays out. Next chapter we get in depth in this relationship, as well as one of the last two Koopalings. Coooool123, if you're reading this, I think you'll like it ;) Well, please review and stuff. Byee**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Well these are getting harder to shove out ^^' what with school, and videogames tbh, I'm swamped. Looks like I may take longer then a week sometimes. But hey, here it is! So Bowser is obsessed with Peach and is trying to forget about Fawn. Let's see if that gets better. But more importantly, we're going back to connecting to Koopaling's; specifically Roy! Hooray! Let's see if he's just a douche :3 Oh, we also get to see what Fawn's parcel was (that I forgot to mention last chapter ^^')**

**Coooool123: Well, here it is finally. The plans that I had for Roy and all are FINALLY kicking in. PS again, we made him a lil similar I feel. Hope you enjoy :) and thanks for calling it realistic btw!**

**WhiteasSnowyhills: Weeelll he sorta does. But not really... :/ he's just being stupid lol**

**Angela: Thank you for your encouragement, as always XD sorry I'm late ^^'**

* * *

Chapter 28: Cran

**Fawn**

I woke up slowly, enjoying the atmosphere with a dreary smile. I crawled out of bed and in to the shower, before rummaging through the pile of clothing from Tina that was still lying in my drawer. I recollected picking out something yellow...not that I cared in the morning.

I heard a knocking at the door, so I went to get it. On my way there, I bumped in to my nightstand, and the parcel I had brought here fell to the floor. I picked it up, vaguely securing that it was still okay. With it still in hand, I opened the door. Standing there was Junior, eager as ever. However, he had that gleam of anticipation in his eyes, waiting to put something in to play.

"Fawn!" he greeted happily.

I rubbed my eyes sleepily. "Junior...how are you?"

"Great! Come on, let's go! It's Roy's birthday today!"

My eyes widened at the rather unexpected news. _His birthday's today...why didn't anyone tell me this!?_ I looked at the gift still in my hand. This was quite a coincidence.

Junior nodded excitedly. "Yeah! I figured I should get you for it, so the whole family could be there!"

I smiled at his kind gesture, although I was admittedly surprised by the whole situation. To be honest, this was perfect! "Um...you go on ahead, I'll be right down!"

Junior looked at me quizzically, most likely wondering what I could possibly need to do, but nodded. "Um...ok, whatever you say. See you soon!"

With that, he quickly dashed away. I rushed to the parcel to insure that it was okay. After feeling it a bit, I was content to say it had survived the voyage here unharmed.

I had a lot of extra money from babysitting, and I was forever grateful for the people paying me this sum. This is why I felt bad that people here actually hated me, like Roy. I wanted to do something to make him like me, so I started coming up with things to do to make people like you. Then I remembered; gifts! From what I've learned, gifts were a good way of both apologizing without even doing it, kindling friendships, and finding romance, all through simple materialism.

I thought of gifts to give him, when I remembered something weird about him; his sunglasses were prescription. I found out when I was poking around his room one day...I was babysitting; I needed to set a trap in his room. I figured he'd like a new pair of glasses, since I broke a pair of his from my first trap on him. Although these were a bit different then what he usually wore…

I smiled as I tucked it in to some sort of pocket, I wasn't really paying attention. I quickly made my way to the dining hall from there.

* * *

**Peach**

I sighed, picking at my breakfast, sitting at Bowser's right hand.

"How's the meal?" Bowser asked me.

"Fine," I answered curtly. I was irritated that he had dragged me to breakfast with him, on top of dragging me to his castle in the first place. _Oh, why did I have to get in this situation again!? And just before I could throw my party…_

He may've talked more, but Junior soon came bustling in.

"Junior?" Bowser inquired, now looking up from me to address his son. "Why're you so late? We already served the food."

He came to a stop at the sound of his father's voice, and stood there, fidgeting and looking behind him, like he was waiting for something. "Well...you see, since it's a special day, I went and got someone..."

"Special day?" Bowser spoke.

Before Junior could answer, Fawn rushed in too. She was wearing a sleeveless knee length cream yellow dress with a close collar line yellow petticoats. She looked quite cute in it.

As soon as Junior as he saw Fawn entered, his face broke in to a large smile, before he gestured to everyone and turned to Roy.

"Ready?" he asked. We all looked at him confused, including Fawn, not knowing what he meant. Roy obviously looked the most confused.

Suddenly Junior began to sing...well, belt. "Happy birthday to yoooooou!" he sang, barely on key.

Fawn seemed to snap out of her daze, finally understanding whatever Junior was doing, and joined him in singing. "Happy birthday to you!" she sang, her voice not nearly as bad.

What with Junior's excitement and Fawn's innocence, the two didn't realize our blatant confusion. "Happy birthday dear Roy! Happy birthday to yoooooou!" they sang to Roy.

We all looked at the duo, completely confused. There was a silence after their song, with them staring at us and especially Roy with expectation. Roy finally spoke out of all of us. "...My birthday's in two days, ya dumbass."

Junior began to frown. "Wait...what?"

Bowser sighed. "Son, you keep getting the dates confused. His birthday's on Sunday, not Friday."

Junior blinked slowly in realization. "Oh...woops."

Roy snorted. "Good goin, ya runt."

Junior pouted angrily, now facing Roy again. "Hey! At least I was nice enough to do something for you! You're lucky, cuz I'd never do that if I didn't think I had to!"

Roy scoffed and glanced at Fawn. "Yeah, thanks fo da birthday broad. She gonna pop outta a cake or somethin? Den she might be useful."

My face flushed as Bowser finally turned his malicious stare from me to Roy. "Roy, watch yourself!"

I instantly felt bad for Fawn. _Is this how her 'friends' treat her!?_ I looked over at her, only to see her confused.

"Wait...don't we eat the cake at birthdays? Or is there something I'm forgetting...?"

Ludwig sighed in annoyance. "Impudent girl. He means to belittle you to an even lower class by degrading your womanhood and virtuousness."

She frowned still. "He did all that with cake?"

I chuckled lightly at her naive behavior, as Ludwig and Roy both rolled their eyes, and Bowser sighed. "Well Junior, you brought Fawn here for nothing."

Junior frowned, turning to Bowser. "Well, can't she eat with us anyway?"

I suddenly realized that there was a chance that Fawn would be here to eat with us. I wouldn't be alone!

I turned to Bowser with a pleading look. "Oh yes, sounds lovely! Please?"

He looked at me for a moment before sighing. "Whatever you like."

He turned to Fawn and said, "I'll get a servant to bring a chair. You can sit between Junior and Larry."

Fawn grew hesitant and shy at the proposal. I found that odd, since she apparently loved eating here. "Um...don't I ordinarily sit next to you and Junior?"

I was going to say this was a great idea, as I could move away from Bowser, but he firmly responded, "Today Peach is sitting there."

I was about to interject, but Fawn quickly and quietly said, "Okay..."

_She responded fast...and she seems sad, or maybe scared. Maybe she doesn't want to talk to Bowser either right now? I'll need to check on that; maybe she's finally realizing he's bad news._

Soon Fawn had her seat and food. As we all ate, everyone engaging in different conversation, Bowser addressed me once more. "Hey Peach...I planned a day for us together. A movie and lunch..." he whispered.

I repressed a groan. _Why me?_

* * *

**Fawn**

After breakfast, Bowser finally spoke to me, to tell me to watch the kids while he hung out with Peach. It made me sad that he so blatantly disregarded me…but it was my job. I looked around the playroom. Wendy was watching her program (thank Stars one was on); Iggy was sitting in the corner, mumbling to himself; Ludwig was playing his keyboard, although the compromise was to have his headphones in them; Larry had probably found himself...tied up on the first floor; I was alternating talking to Morton and playing with Lemmy and Junior; and Roy was...not there. He must've snuck out at some point, and would most likely go to his room soon.

I got up, as I needed to set up more...disciplinary tools. "Alright you guys, I have to step out real quick. Behave, alright?"

They all groaned at my leave, but eventually grumbled in consent.

I quickly left the room to go to Roy's. I was also considering leaving my gift there for him.

* * *

I walked down Roy's pink and magenta hall, with several paintings of him that exaggerated his muscles and ferocity. However, the award he had hung up always confused me. It was some sort of writing award from his childhood or something. Like the other times I've walked through here (which I had done for the same reasons as this time), I shrugged and walked past it toward Roy's room.

I saw the door was still open, which meant my trap was still probably unused; Roy wasn't inside. I walked inside the room and looked around to see if he was there after all, just to be safe, and ensure that my trap didn't malfunction. The room, unlike the halls, seemed to suit Roy much more than his halls. His walls were blood red, speckled with several posters of punk bands, and he had a black carpet. He had a matching bed, with a weight lifting set in the corner, a closet, and a rather large desk. I had always found the desk to be rather pointless, as there wasn't much on it.

When I realized that I had beaten Roy to his room, I looked toward the desk. In a sudden impulse of curiosity, I approached the desk. I had no idea what the purpose of it was, so I wondered what was inside. I opened one of the drawers to see if there was anything even in there. All I found were a few pencils and knick knacks. Satisfied with the simplicity, I was about to close it, when my trained eye caught something.

_Oh? What's this? A trap?_

It wasn't a trap, but it was similar to one, and with my eye used to the object. The drawer had a detachable bottom. Not paying attention to what I was doing, letting my curious mind lead me now, I began to fumble with the edge of it for a bit, managing to lift it. _I wonder why he would have something like this..._

Looking at the true contents of the drawer, I saw what looked like a notebook. Raising my eyebrow, and still not thinking about how nosy I was being, I picked it up. The notebook was titled Cran, property of Roy Koopa. I found the name and possession odd, so I quickly began to leaf through the book. There was so much writing in it, and it looked like legitimate writing. _What's with all this writing? What I'm reading is good…Roy's writing all this? Why…how? Roy wouldn't do that…_

"Hey! What're ya doin in my room!?"

I turned to see an angry Roy enter the room. However, he made the mistake of closing the door after him, and the trap I had set up went off. A cage door, with five sturdy metal bars, fell down from the ceiling to the floor, barring anyone from leaving the room.

Roy whipped around to the door as his eyes widened and he frantically began to pull on it. "Da hell!? Aw no, no, NO!"

He took a huge breath and exhaled fire. The room heated up quickly, so in an attempt to get him to stop, I spoke feebly. "Um...the cage's indestructible...you're only wasting your own time...and your own door..."

I stopped to reflect on what I just said. I've never thought of it before, but the guards are strangely cooperative when it comes to keeping the Koopalings out of trouble...not that that's to strange though, considering what they can do.

Roy turned around to me, his face livid with anger. "Ya lil bitch...open this door or else I'll-"

He stopped mid phrase, finally seeing what I held in my hand. I think his eyes may've widened even more as he snatched it from my hand. "Whatcha think yo doin wid dat!?" he asked angrily, clutching the notebook for dear life.

I shrunk back a little, brought to reality by his angry tone, as I faintly asked, "Did you write this?"

"What!? No!" he yelled, indignant.

"Are you sure? Aren't all these writings yours? How come you named it Cran?" I asked, shoving past his response.

He began to grow nervous. "Uh...Cran? Stop sayin stupid stuff like dat, why the hell would I be somethin like dat!?" he defended quickly.

"Hm...this is a tactic," I pondered aloud. "You're playing dumb, right?"

"No I'm-"

I interrupted without realizing it. "I've heard of people giving names to their notebooks. So this is yours. You're a writer, right?"

He scoffed. "Why would I be some pansy ass author? I don't care bout dat crap!"

I frowned. "But there's proof..."

"Like what?" he asked angrily, still defensive.

I blinked, not seeing how he couldn't see it. "Well…it says 'Roy Koopa'. And it's your penmanship."

He continued to become more nervous. "So someone left it here, I dunno!"

"How would they hide it so well though?"

"Look, I ain't an author! How could I be good at crap like dat!?"

I frowned as I continued. "But I read through it a little..."

"You what!?" Roy interrupted angrily, yet fearfully almost.

I grew a little frightened, suddenly becoming more aware of how angry Roy was right now, and what he could do. "Um...yeah, I didn't get much from the little I read...but it seemed good! Good enough to be a writer..."

"Shuddup," he seethed. "I ain't an author. I don't write."

"Please tell me the truth," I insisted.

"Why are stupid girls goin through my stuff?" Roy seethed. "Why have I not kicked da crap out of you yet?" He took a menacing step forward.

I squeaked and stepped back, instantly intimidated. "No, don't!" I yelled.

In my clumsy movement, Roy's gift fell out of my pocket, and landed softly on the floor.

Roy sneered as I picked it up. "Hah, whadda we got here? Something worth takin?"

I considered not telling him, as everything I did seemed to make him angrier. But I finally just said it. "Um...a gift...for you..."

He stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Uh...what?"

I gulped. "Well...I thought maybe you wouldn't hate me so much if I got you something...and I heard your birthday is coming up, so I got you something. I was planning to leave it in here..."

Roy stared at me, almost a little dumbstruck, his angry demeanor actually gone. "Uh...okay," he finally said.

I nodded. "Right...I'll give it to you..." My brain suddenly hatched an idea. "...if you admit to being a writer."

His anger came back with a snarl. "You lil..."

"I wouldn't tell anyone! And the gift's good! I promise!"

He stared at me harshly for a bit longer before sighing. "Aight...so I do write a lil."

I smiled largely. "Thank you for admitting it..."

He suddenly grew menacing, as he growled. "Don't you dare tell anyone."

I gulped. "I won't."

He calmed, and there was a long pause, so I began to think about the situation.

_I wonder why he would keep something like that hidden?_

"Wad's it to ya?"

I snapped out of it and looked at Roy. I had thought aloud again. _Damn!_ _Well...I've already started, might as well ask._ "Um...why hide it? You're a good writer; you could make money and be famous. So why go through so much trouble to hide it?"

"Ain't none of yo business," he muttered angrily.

"Um...I'd like it to be?" I said, truthfully yet unsurely.

He waited a bit before groaning. "I just ain't a pussy, okay? Don't want people thinkin dat I am."

I frowned, confused. "What does writing have to do with it?"

He stared at me blankly before what looked like he rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't get it."

"Well...maybe I don't. But I had a similar conversation with Lemmy. If you want to do something, do it!"

He observed me for a moment before shrugging. "It ain't easy. People make fun of writers, cuz they're mushy bitches."

"Well are you a mushy bitch?"

He eyed me for my language, but still frowned angrily. "Course not!"

"Then I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is dat people'll think I'm like dat!" he said louder.

"But don't you not care about what people think?" I remembered.

He stopped dead in his tracks. "Uh...I uh..." he stammered. "No...I don care! I don care about what other people think!"

"Good!" I said cheerily. "It's definitely good enough! You'll do great!"

He eyed me strangely before saying, "Yeah...whateva."

He shook his head and snatched the gift from my hand. "Gimme dat! A deal's a deal."

He quickly began to unwrap the gift as I smiled nervously, hoping he'd like it.

He finally pulled out a glasses case from the shredded gift wrapping. He eyed it curiously before opening it.

"...Da hell are these?"

He pulled out a pair of pink horn rimmed glasses. They were like his ordinary sunglasses, except they were ordinary glasses.

"Um...they're glasses," I said nervously.

"Why would I need glasses?" he sneered.

"Well..." I said cautiously. "I've been in your room before...and I found an old sunglasses case saying they were prescription..."

"You went through my room before too!?"

"Well, I have to for my job! You don't listen!" I defended shyly.

His lip curled as I nervously continued. "Um...I figured you should have one pair of normal glasses...they're transition lenses, so they'll turn dark in the sun. You know, in case you need sunglasses for that reason..."

He paused for a moment, studying the glasses, before slowly saying, "They're not my style...stupid."

I sighed, forlorn and disappointed with my failure. "Oh...ok...I'm sorry that I snooped through your things..."

There was a long pause before I heard him sigh. "It's fine...the gift's okay."

I looked up and began to smile. It wasn't a lot, but even I could tell that was a lot from him. "Um...you're welcome!"

"Yeah, yeah," he said nonchalantly. "Just don't tell anyone about me," he warned.

"I won't...although I don't see what's wrong with being a skilled writer."

"Feh. Showin feelings and crap ain't as awesome as you think it is."

"How?" I asked.

"It just doesn't...dad proved that," he muttered.

I frowned. "What?"

He shook his head and said, "Nothin. Just get me outta here!" He started gesturing toward the door.

I blinked dimly before making an 'o' in realization. "Oh, sure...as long as you promise to stay either here or in the playroom."

"Wha? But-"

"Please?" I asked sweetly, hoping he would say yes.

He stared at me, now almost observing me, before groaning and looking away. I couldn't help but notice how pink his face was. _Guess it's always pink._

"Fine. I'll stay here; I could work out anyway."

I smiled largely, very happy that he actually said yes. I approached him and hugged him around his shoulders. He really was like Bowser; he felt close to his strength and warmth, standing slightly taller then me. I felt him stiffen immediately. "Whaddaya think yo doin!?"

Once I realized I was hugging him, I immediately backed away. "I'm sorry...I guess that was just an impulse. I'm just happy you're staying."

He continued to observe me, before looking away. "Yeah, yeah. Get outta here, go babysit or whateva."

I smiled and thanked him once more before running off.

_Maybe we're not friends...but maybe he doesn't hate me so much._

* * *

As I walked away from Roy's room, I bumped in to something rather unyielding.

"Ow..." I muttered as I fell to the floor. I looked up to see Bowser, standing there, staring off ahead.

"Bowser!" I greeted cheerfully, and also hopefully, that he'd be in more of a mood to talk to me.

He looked at me belatedly. "Oh...hello Fawn," he drawled.

Not receiving a helping claw, I got up. I observed his reflexive expression, his brows and the corners of his mouth relaxed and sinking, and he seemed almost as distant as me.

I frowned. "So um...how'd your day with Peach go?"

He took a moment to sigh. "I don't know..." he said, sounding aloof, maybe even sad. "I think she didn't have fun."

"Oh...well, what did-"

"Sorry," he interrupted, raising a claw. "But my head's a little foggy, and I've got work to do. I've got to go."

I frowned dejectedly. "Oh...okay."

"See you."

"Bye..."

With that, he took off in his direction. I sighed, also continuing toward my room. On my way there, I ran in to someone else.

I looked at the person I'd bumped shoulders with to see it was Peach. Her face lit up upon seeing me, as she quickly hugged me.

Quickly letting go, she said, "Oh Fawn! It's so great to see you!"

I cocked my head. "Why's that?"

She sighed. "I just had a miserable time with Bowser today."

I frowned. "Oh...what exactly happened?"

She groaned. "Well, first he tried to get in to my head all during lunch."

"Get in your head? How'd he do that?"

"By trying to talk to me; get closer to me," she said simply.

I realized, once again, she was just completely misjudging Bowser. My lips grew taut, wanting to frown, or maybe even curl. They wanted to lash her with the truth; of how Bowser just loved her, how she treated him so horribly, and how he was stealing his attention from me. "Well...maybe he just wanted to talk to you."

Peach shook her head and said, "I'm telling you, it's a common tactic! He'd even sneak in a few questions to find out about my kingdom!"

"Like?"

"Like, 'How's your kingdom?'"

I frowned at how that was simple small chat, but remembered that she interpreted these things far differently.

I considered questioning this, but my curiosity moved. "How was the movie?"

She groaned softly again. "Some silly romance story. I don't know what he was thinking, but I hate romances that were this cheesy."

"Well...maybe he just wanted to pick a movie you'd like, and he knew you liked romance, but he wasn't a good judge of the genre," I defended carefully.

"Why would he go through that trouble?" she countered.

I pursed my lips, desperately wanting to disprove this woman's view. "...I don't know."

She looked at me curiously before continuing. "Well, anyways, that wasn't even all! He also kept touching me during the whole thing!"

This made me very irritated. I was pretty sure it was just because she didn't appreciate his love for her...and his warm touch. "How?" I ended up asking.

"Brushing hands, arms, and legs." She shrugged. "It wasn't much, but it was from him..."

"Well...maybe he just wanted to touch you."

She looked at me quizzically. "Why would he want to do that?"

I blinked. "...I don't know."

She leaned in and whispered, "Maybe it wouldn't be happen if he didn't take so much space."

I pulled away, irritated. Not only was this girl unappreciative of his love and touch, but she also bad mouthed him. Peach was kind, and she was my good friend...but her taking Bowser's attention from me, and making suffer was to much. I wanted to tell her she was completely wrong, and that she should go and love and appreciate him as the only girl that could.

But I kept my lips fast for now.

* * *

**So, things with Bowser did not get better. If anything, things are getting worse, cuz Peach is being stupid too lol I feel as though I'm making Fawn a little Mary Sueish in the sense that she's doing now wrong really. So I'll fix that somehow :3**

**But hey, Roy seems nicer now! He writes; how bout that! And he turns pink. Wonder why, lololol. Hope one of the biggest Roy fan I know enjoyed it :) I was considering giving him a scene to reflect and write at the end of the chapter, but I ran out of time, believe it or not. So I'll include it next chapter, since it's prob short anyway.**

**Next time, shit hits the fan a little bit, and things are said. So look forward to next time! Alright, see ya**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hey guys. Last time Roy got closer to Fawn. So this chapter isn't quite as long as I'd thought it'd be, but a lot happens. So enjoy!**

**Thank you Angela and WhiteasSnowyhills :)**

* * *

Chapter 29: Revelation

**Roy**

I sat at the table, in my seat between Lemmy and Iggy. Today Peach sat with us, in her place between Bowser and Junior.

I heard Bowser trying to strike conversation with Peach.

"Hey Peach. I scheduled something for us today. Would you-"

"Um...I'm real sorry, but I haven't gotten to talk to Fawn much lately. It's why I invited her to my castle anyway. You know, when we were watching a movie, before you kidnapped us," she responded, somewhat icily.

Bowser remained nonchalant, although I could tell he was disappointed. "Sure, I understand. But how about you spend the day with me at Roy's party tomorrow? There'll be food and people I'd like you to meet."

"...Sure."

She was always disinterested in him, but he wouldn't let up. He was never real nice in his talks to her, so that it was never incredibly obvious that he loved her (although it was still pretty obvious." But he was nice enough, and persistent. Although he made sure to never tell Peach how he really felt.

_Good thinking dad. We don't want a repeat of last time..._

I felt bad for him, but at the same time I didn't. _He should move on already, damn. Go talk to someone new...like Fawn._

I blinked when I noticed that I was thinking about her.

_Fawn...why am I thinking about her? Is it because of what happened yesterday? _I growled softly to myself._ Stars she's annoying! Going through my stuff, punishing me like that, making me tell her things I don't want to!_

_But...did I want to?_ I shook my head when I realized I was almost grateful at the idea that sharing my feelings and ideas may not be such a bad thing. _It's not like I'm a wimp! I don't have anything to feel bad about! It's just cool to let it out sometimes!_ I stopped myself. I hadn't meant to thin like that at all, and I ended up admitting something. _Ah damn...I just thought it._ I thought on dad's situation with his ex-wife; Clawdia. _Maybe Dad's case with her was just a bad one...maybe Clawdia really was just a bitch. Maybe people like Fawn are different._

I grinned unwillingly, thinking of my encounter with her yesterday. _She had looked like the hope she was bringing...clad in yellow my red and black room, she was sunshine in a dismal world...damn it. I hate thinking poetry, that's just annoying. She was also pretty hot too...there, I thought it, accepted it, I guess that's alright._

I remembered my blush from yesterday, and I almost felt it now. _Just wish I didn't have to blush like an idiot._

* * *

**Fawn**

I sat alone in my room, eating the breakfast Jimmy had brought me. Nobody came for me to tell me to work, or eat, so here I was. I was actually somewhat lonely until Peach walked in to my room. I looked up to her from my food. She was in jeans and a long pink blouse that went down to her knees. I could tell she didn't care too much about her appearance today.

"Peach...what are you doing here?" I asked her.

"I just wanted to hang out with you." She smiled.

I went back to eating. "Don't you have something with Bowser?" _Did that come out vehemently?_

She frowned. "No. He asked me to, but I asked if I could be with you." She sighed. "On the condition that I hang out with him at Roy's party tomorrow."

I cringed. Part of me was hoping that Bowser would ask me to spend time with him tomorrow. But he was still clearly focused on Peach.

She sat down on my bed, humming. "I'm so glad I get to spend today with you! Even if it means I still have to spend time with that man tomorrow..."

I seethed with jealousy, and how ungrateful she was toward my friend. I would love to spend a normal day with Bowser again! "I'd be willing to take your place..." I ended up mumbling.

She chuckled, taking it as a joke. "Well, I'd be all for it. But you shouldn't have to go through that. Plus I'm sure he wouldn't let that happen..."

I cringed again at what she just said; I had been secretly hoping that Bowser would invite me along with them anyways...

"...I guess you're right," I mumbled.

Peach looked at me, frowning. "Fawn...are you and Bowser okay?"

I looked up again. "Huh?"

"I asked if you two are okay?"

"Um…yes…" I said, half lying. "Why?"

"Well...you guys just don't seem like friends," Peach observed, hesitantly. "And you seem sad..."

I grew angry. _We are friends! It's only because of her that he's acting different! It's only because he loves her!_ "...It's just...things are different right now," I said slowly.

"Why?"

"Because...you're here," I finally said.

She looked at me oddly. "Me? What am I doing?"

"He acts...differently when you're around."

She seemed to consider this, before her face scrunched angrily. "Don't tell me...is he that intent on terrorizing me and my kingdom?"

I looked at her quizzically. "What?"

"Of course...friends don't matter to him! He only cares about terrorizing me and my kingdom! So he puts all his sights on me, even when you're around! See, he is bad!" she reasoned insistently.

Now I was just plain angry with her ignorance. _How dare she speak like that about him!?_ "That's not it!"

"Of course it is! I don't see what you like in him! I...I hate him!" she huffed.

"Don't say that! You're wrong!" I said angrily, my volume increasing.

"Then what is it? Why does he go through all this effort? What else could it be!?"

"He loves you!" I blurted out.

After I said that, there was finally silence in the room. She stopped with her ranting and stared at me, emotionless at my proclamation. I clamped my hand over my mouth, realizing what I'd just said.

"...What did you just say?" Peach asked slowly.

"Um...nothing," I said nervously. _Oh my Stars, I just outed Bowser!_

"Did you say...Bowser loves me?"

"Um...no! Eh heh, not all! I was just being dumb!" I said nervously, my acting still terrible.

"So you did say it," Peach observed.

I cursed myself. _Damn it, Bowser's going to hate me now!_

"Will he? Does that mean it's true?"

And of course I had thought out loud again. I stared at her, terrified. "Um...I...uh..."

Peach continued to stare at me analytically. "You're...lying, right?"

"Um...yes?"

"But you're acting weird…you've always been bad at lying. So are you really not lying?" she observed, her eyes widening.

"Uh...uh..." I stammered.

"No...this can't be...this can't!" she said incredulously.

"Um...I-"

"I have to go," she said quickly, rushing out the room.

I stared after her, frozen, as she bolted out. I blinked dumbly.

_Oh Stars...I've really done it now. Bowser will hate me!_

**Peach**

* * *

I continued to think about what Fawn said as I walked aimlessly through the halls.

'_He loves you!'_

_No, that can't be...he hates me! He terrorizes my kingdom and I because all he wants is my country! H-he doesn't want me! He can't love me; he can't love anyone! He's a monster!_

I remembered how he used to be, when we were kids._ Okay, I know he's not a monster...but can he really...love me?_

I shook my head. _No! What about all the threats he's sent to my kingdom!? All the antagonizing he does! It's all-_

Empty.

My eyes widened as I realized that Bowser never has actually done anything substantial to my kingdom.

_Well...what about the way he treats me? He kidnaps me! How can you call that love? Why would he...?_

'_And he doesn't want to tell you!'_

My eye's flared again. _No...is he really so scared of saying it that he'd just kidnap me? That's just ridiculous...why would he-_

I realized how I'd been treating him these past years, and how many actually kind gestures he's shown me, that I misinterpreted as manipulation.

_Oh no...I've been treating him so coldly, so hatefully, when really, all he's ever tried to do was get closer to me...was there really no ulterior motive?_

I shook my head. _I need to figure this out._

I looked up. Apparently, I hadn't been wandering aimlessly. I was in front of Bowser's room.

* * *

**Bowser**

I sighed as I worked in my room, alone. I felt like working on my blueprints for the next Clown Copter. It was something to fall back on whenever I was feeling blue.

Oh get over it! She just doesn't feel like hanging out...today. It'll be good tomorrow...

I tried my best to get her off my mind. But of course I couldn't. Her golden hair, her heart shaped face, her trim form, it was all I could think of. I was practically drooling by the time I heard a knock at my door. I jumped at the sound and shook myself, trying to compose. "Um...come in!" I called gruffly.

And to my surprise, in walked Peach. My eyes widened in surprise for a second. "Peach!" I greeted, caught off guard. "Um...hey!" I cursed at myself when I realized I sounded like a dork.

"Um...hello Bowser," she greeted back.

There was an awkward silence between us, as I realized she was in my room of her own accord. With the silence, my mind began to try and think of charming things to say, and how to follow it up. But I started to think too much, and my desperate thoughts turned in to fantasies. _Then I'll pick her up and put her on the bed...and then I'll…wait, she's looking. Oh no, no! I need to focus!_

"Um...what're you doing here?" I asked awkwardly, snapping out of it,\.

She eyed me oddly, as if she was wondering what I was dreaming about, before she said,"Well um...you see…" She was hesitant.

"Yes?"

"I heard something...and it led me to thinking..."

I was now very curious to what she would say. She usually wasn't like this. " What is it?"

"Do you, uh...well..." She was looking away.

I smiled at her sudden shyness, finding it cute...and again those fantasies came to mind. But I shoved them out as I tried to be calm and, to a degree, comforting. "You can say it."

She seemed to notice my gentle tone and looked up, meeting my eyes. I seemed to have given her some determination, as she finally spoke. "Do you...love me?"

I blinked dumbly. "...What?" I said slowly.

She gulped, and looked like she was reconsidering, before repeating, "Do you love me?"

"...What?" I repeated. After that, I realized 'what' probably wasn't a good response. Not that the stuttering that followed was good either. "Oh um...no! I mean yes! Or I mean uh...as a friend! Yeah...a friend that I'd love to make happy and marry...um, wait." This situation had caught me by surprise, as one could tell.

I was practically burning up, freaking out. _H-How'd she figure it out!? Well...I mean, I know it was obvious. But why now!? Damn it! I needed preparation! What's she going to think of me now? Oh, now she'll really hate me! It's Clawdia all over again!_

To my surprise, Peach was smiling gently, a faint blush on her cheeks. She slowly approached me, and I sat at my desk, frozen. She softly touched my arm, reassuringly, which sent tingles throughout my whole body, only increasing my temperature further.

"Bowser...it's okay. You can tell me," she said sweetly, making eye contact. I loved the tone of voice she used. It was the sweetness she gave other people. It was the sweetness she used to give me when we were younger.

It gave me strength, and I exhaled slowly. "I guess...I do like you," I mumbled.

Peach smiled, and she did something unexpected. Since she was eye level with me in my seated position, she hugged me around my neck, which sent chills throughout my whole body. I was hypersensitive to her soft, angelic fingers, grazing my neck, her arms wrapped around it, the smell of her perfume touching my nose and filling my head. I didn't know how to respond; I was overwhelmed, my temperature skyrocketing. I finally got myself to wrap my arms around her body. I was incredibly gentle, minding my spiked bands. But I still felt her delicate frame in my grasp, and it drove me even more insane.

Both of us didn't know what to say; what can you say? But after a bit, she pulled away, still smiling.

"You know...you're very warm," she commented, kindness still there.

"You know, I've gotten there before," I said, still a little sheepish. But I was starting to relax in to it, if only a little.

Her smile turned slightly coy. "Yes...you're also red."

I probably got redder when she said that. But, despite it all, I somehow found the situation funny, and I chuckled. "Well, to be fair, you did just sort of bust my balls."

I wasn't sure how she'd react to my crudeness. But to my delight, she gave a small chuckle, which sounded sweet and airy. It really was reminiscent of our jokes in our youth. "I suppose I did. I'm sorry about that."

I waved my hand. "It's fine…I guess it's better out there…" I paused for a moment, before I curiously asked, "What made you finally realize?"

She blushed, most likely realizing how obvious it was now, before whispering, "Fawn…she told me by accident."

I nodded, not to upset now that it had turned out so well. "I see…she'd probably do something like that."

"Please don't be mad at her…"

Peach's pleading tone made me want to shiver. "Don't worry, I understand."

She smiled in reply, and we stood in silence a little longer. I thought she was going to ask me another question, but she said, "Well, I can see you're busy...but we can talk tomorrow."

I was a little upset when I heard she was leaving, but I beamed when she said we'd talk tomorrow. She'd actually talk again!

"Okay...sure," I said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Alright...see you," she said, slowly, walking out the door.

"...Bye," I whispered, almost dumbstruck.

* * *

**Fawn**

After sitting in my room for quite a while, fearful of the consequences of what I said, and dreaming up every negative consequence possible, I finally left my room to find Bowser or Peach. I needed to see if Peach did anything, and if not, do something about it!

I rushed toward Bowser's room, as I was likely to find at least one of them there. I was practically sprinting through the halls, and I only stopped when I smelt a floral scent waft by, and a sweet voice reach my ears.

"Fawn?" Peach called.

I stopped and turned, greeting her. "Peach! Um...uh..."

"I talked to Bowser," she said, predicting my question.

_Oh no! Bowser really will hate me now! What even happened!?_ I was so nervous I could barely speak. "Um...I uh..."

"Listen...I know you told me by accident," she said, sounding gentle. "But I'm glad you told me! I feel bad about the way I've been treating him now...I want to give him another chance. He wasn't mad at you or anything. I'm sure he's relieved that I know if anything!"

I blinked. I felt a sense of relief knowing that it turned out well...and something else. "Oh...that's good then."

She nodded. "Yes...I'll be talking to him more about it tomorrow." She grew a little reflexive. "Maybe things will be different between us..."

I was about to say something else, when the hallways began to fill with thumping footsteps, making them shake slightly.

Peach jumped a little. "Oh, um...I should go! Bye Fawn!"

She left me as I stood there, still trying to figure out what to do.

"Fawn!" Bowser called.

My body warmed when he called my name. I momentarily forgot about everything else. It had been so long since he'd spoken to me like he had any sort of interest in me! My energy picked up as I greeted his imposing form. "Hey Bowser!"

He looked a little serious, his eyebrows settled close to his eyes. "So, you told Peach?"

My energy dropped when I remembered the situation. "Um...I..."

Bowser sighed and said, "It's okay. Or...I think it is."

"You think it is?"

"Well...from the sounds of it, she seemed okay with it!" he said happily.

"Really?" I said, pretending to be surprised.

"Yeah! Hell, she even apologized to me for the way she's been treating me! Said she'd get to know me better at the party tomorrow!" he said excitedly.

My eyebrows rose. I didn't expect this. "Oh...that's great!" I was happy for him...but for some reason it didn't sound like I was.

Not that Bowser noticed. "Yeah! So, since I'm going to be with Peach, you mind watching the Koopalings during the party? I figured this isn't your type of thing anyway, so it'd be great if you make sure they don't ruin this for me."

My heart sank. He really didn't invite me. "Um...yeah. Yes, sure, I'll do that..."

He still didn't notice my tone, as he was to self-absorbed at the moment. "Thanks. Man, now she's giving me a chance! I'm so excited for tomorrow! It's like I'm falling in love again!" He caught himself, and calmed down if for just a second. "Don't quote me on that sissy shit though."

I forced a laugh. "Um...right."

He laughed boisterously back, his energy coming back quickly. "Guess I can't help it! I'm excited as hell! And it's all because of you! Come here!"

He quickly moved forward and scooped me up in his arms. He even lifted me up off the ground. My face pressed up against his chest, I got to feel that warmth and strength that I had grown to like before again...and I noticed his scent of smoke, which I hadn't noticed as much before. I smiled in contentment for a second as I hugged back, until he dropped me.

"Alright, I've got to do some paperwork," Bowser said, calming down as he sat me down. "I'll see you later."

I forced a smile, already feeling distraught again. "Um...bye."

He began to walk away as he called, "Thanks again!"

"No problem..." I called back.

I stood there, feeling upset and conflicted. I didn't know why I felt like this...

_Maybe it's because Bowser's going to spend more time with Peach now? That...maybe they'll fall in love? Am I that selfish? I should be happy if they fall in love...right? Why am I not? Why am I upset that I caused this? Am I really that obsessed with being with my friend? What is it about him...maybe it's something more than friendship? I feel like there's something else to this...but I can't quite say what it is._

I continued to ponder it before sighing.

_Whatever...I'm sure I'll figure out. Besides, I'm thinking too much. Peach doesn't even like Bowser!_

* * *

**Peach**

Once I heard my door close behind me, I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked around my room...the comforting pink, the expensive furniture. Now that I thought about it, it really was like my second room. Bowser had gone through so much effort to make me feel at home here. Which I repaid with coldness. I instantly felt guilty.

I probably shouldn't have believed he loved me so quickly...but once I looked in to his eyes, I knew he did. They were genuine, searching frantically for mine, just wanting to connect with them. I heard his voice for the first time; his bass sounded like it was trying to soothe me, not scare me. _Good Stars, how could I have misinterpreted him so badly?_

I suppose it was my kingdom's fault; they practically brainwashed me in to thinking that he was bad, because of our kingdoms' hatred for each other. After his father, King Morton, attacked us, we've always been at hostile terms. And it didn't help that Bowser started kidnapping me shortly after that, at the young age of nine.

I blinked as I realized why he started kidnapping. _He'd probably done it because neither my not his governors would let him see me like he used to when we were kids. He cared that much about me, that he'd be willing to defy everyone and kidnap me. How...sweet._

I felt myself grinning. Despite everything, I realized he was almost nicer then Mario. Whereas Mario didn't care about me, Bowser would do...anything from the looks of it.

It made me feel special. I couldn't believe that.

* * *

**Cult**

I glared at the note that I had just received in the mail.

**Dear Dad,**

**Hey. It's me. So, it may've been a while since you've heard from me. It's because I went to Bowser's. Well…he sort of kidnapped me. But it's okay! I can leave whenever I want! So I'll be home uh…soon I guess.**

**Don't worry!**

**Fawn**

_She can't just up and leave like that! I'm not letting her get that involved with this guy! Especially after the talk we had about him… _I shuddered at the idea that my little girl may actually like _Bowser._

I had gotten another message in the mail from Mushroom Castle that Peach had been kidnapped too, and I was invited to go on a quest with Mario to rescue her.

I shook my head as I began to prepare for the voyage. _Oh, I'm going to go over there and kick Bowser's ass and get my daughter back. But I'm not taking Mario's little retarded route. I mean, I know it's a sense of male pride to be able to find your own route to somewhere, but damn, he's being a dumbass._

And so I ventured out, making a beeline for Bowser's castle, and my daughter.

* * *

**Well, a lot's happened! Roy likes Fawn (how cute lol) Peach found out about Bowser loving her, and it seems like she's appreciating it. So things are going to shift again. Let's see how they interact now (surprise it was a BxP fic the whole time! Jk lol) and hopefully Bowser talks to Fawn again XP**

**Next chapter should be long. We deal with the party, Bowser and Peach together, and Larry finally gets his moment in the sun! So review, byee**


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